Kuwait had signaled their status as one of the rising powers of Asian football in 1976 in reaching the final of the AFC Asian Cup on their debut appearance and, on home soil four years later, the Gulf state was to go one step further.

Once again the size of the competition increased, with 10 teams granted places at the Finals as Kuwait were joined by champions Iran as well as two-time champions Korea Republic, China PR, Bangladesh, Malaysia, DPR Korea, Qatar, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

The tournament was the first to feature multiple teams from West Asia and it was to kick-start a prolonged period of dominance by countries from the region.

But even in its earliest days, the prestige of claiming the continental crown brought with it fame, respect and a trip to the presidential palace. the-AFC.com retraces the AFC Asian Cup's journey through the years with the first of a four-part series.

After back-to-back runners-up finishes, persistence paid off as Israel added a new name to the AFC Asian Cup trophy as they claimed the title in front of their own fans when the country hosted the third edition of the continental championship.

As in the previous two tournaments, four nations played in the Finals with Korea Republic and Hong Kong featuring alongside the hosts and debutants India, who brought a strong track record with them into the competition.

The country had won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962 – their second in 11 years – but the pedigree counted for little as Israel defeated the South Asians 1-0 in the opening game thanks to a goal from Mordechai Spiegler.

Japan’s AFC Asian Cup win on home soil in 1992 might have come as a surprise, but on hindsight it proved to be a precursor of a period of superiority whose roots lay in the advent of professionalism in the east Asian nation and a remarkable attention to detail.

Until the early 1990s the Samurai Blue had been a minor player at the AFC Asian Cup but, with the arrival of the J.League in 1993 and the dawn of an era that brought with it rapid development at all levels, Japanese football was on the rise.

While Asia's biggest teams took their customary place in the glittering draw in Dubai last May, there are several national sides who will be making their debuts in the Finals or returning to the Continental showpiece after having missed out on several editions.

Over the years, the AFC Asian Cup has produced some brilliant footballers and coaches. So, we gave fans the opportunity to vote for who they considered as the greatest 11 players in the competition's history.

After 2.6 million votes on the-AFC.com over the past few weeks, it is now time to announce the players who made the final XI alongside six substitutes who narrowly missed out on a starting XI place.

Now that you have had your say on who the best XI in the history of AFC Asian Cup are, it is time to consult three Asian football experts about their choice of the perfect XI, ahead of announcing the winners of the vote later this week. The-AFC.com spoke to a journalist, a player and a coach, all with long-standing association with the AFC Asian Cup.