The 36 matches over the last 13 days saw their fair share of drama and upsets, producing a total of 96 goals - which is an average of 2.67 per match, surpassing the 2015 edition that saw an average of 2.54 goals over 24 matches in Australia.

One of the tournament’s biggest highlights has been its expanded format from 16 to 24 teams, which sees the introduction of the competition’s first-ever Round of 16 stage – a decision that has reaped its rewards – with the Continent’s emerging nations showing their ability to stand proud alongside the traditional powerhouses.

The line-up was confirmed on Thursday, when Oman and Vietnam claimed the Round of 16's two remaining places, setting the scene for what promises to be an unforgettable climax to the largest ever edition of the competition.

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.

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 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has a reach now of 122 million for this tournament, which continues to rise every day with more and more engaging with the biggest-ever Asian Cup through the official AFC social platforms.

The AFC Asian Cup Facebook (fb.com/theafcasiancup) page has seen almost 40 million people engaged while the official Instagram account (instagram.com/afcasiancup) has clocked up more than 49 million impressions on the collection of stunning images from the competition.

Video highlights are also capturing attention with more than 7.9 million views on YouTube, watching a total of 14.1 million minutes of content – and a further 1.5 million Arabic viewers have tuned in through the AFC Arabic official Twitter account (twitter.com/afcasiancup_ar).