With the captivating action on the pitch, universities in the UAE have committed to the Continental showpiece by bringing diverse groups of students together, using the power of football to unite and engage, giving students an opportunity to attend matches.

Four dedicated University Days will be taking place across each host city, with hundreds of students kicking-off the programme in Abu Dhabi when they attended Thursday’s epic contest between Korea Republic and China PR, which saw the Taeguk Warriors seal a 2-0 victory at the Al Nahyan Stadium.

In the spotlight Wednesday were a group of traditional Lebanese Dabke dancers “Al Asail”, who performed on stage in traditional outfits, thrilling fans and curious observers with a highly energetic and flamboyant routine.

Explaining the history and background of the dance, Hosain Algengy said: “Dabke is the traditional Arab folk dance of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine that is usually performed at happy moments and joyous occasions in life so it’s great to be at the heart of the AFC Asian Cup fan zone, to showcase it.

Collina was in capital of the United Arab Emirates during the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 group stage as part of the preparation for the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system from the competition's quarter-finals - a decision he feels is correct.

"It is a wise decision as far as I am concerned to introduce VAR at the quarter-final stage because this is line with the pool of qualified referees that are available. The referees need to have the VAR license from IFAB (International Football Association Board)," said Collina in an interview with local media.

Boasting one of the largest non-Emirati communities in the UAE, over 20 Filipinos from Bayanihan Council, came together to perform a variety of traditional and ancient dances, which filled the fan zone in Abu Dhabi with energy, exuberance and colour as the tournament played out on giant screens in the background.

Teams answered the call to represent their countries at the end of 2018, as the popular tournament now reaches its climax this weekend at Zayed Sports City, where one team will be crowned community champions of Asia.

Narrowed down from over 70 teams, the final 24 sides will battle it out in Abu Dhabi to win the seven-a-side tournament, which will see the winners receive special privileged access to the highly-anticipated AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final on February 1.

The commemorative Dirham is the first-of-its-kind to be manufactured since 2012 as the host nation continues to throw its support behind the 24-nation tournament.

Tournament Director for the Local Organising Committee, His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, commented: “The Dirham is engrained as a symbol of the UAE, so to have a commemorative coin for the AFC Asian Cup shows how significant this tournament is to sport in the country.

Finding their way into the hearts of thousands of supporters in the UAE are the competition’s two official public fan zones, which are also screening the action live in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Forging the unlikeliest of partnerships is none other than Mustafa Wameedh Alyasiri, an Iraqi whose proficiency in the didgeridoo, an Australian musical instrument, has been turning heads at the Fan Zone at Al Bahar at the Corniche in Abu Dhabi.

Widely known to his fans as Flash, the former bio medical engineer, who has spent the last few years living in the UAE before moving back to Baghdad, has remarkably never been to Australia and like the birth of most passions has primarily been self-taught.