Designed to create and capture the excitement of the biggest ever AFC Asian Cup, the opening ceremony will transform the stadium with a series of live on-pitch music performances in a unique tribute to the excellence of Asian football and the vibrant spirit, colour and atmosphere of the host nation.

The 51-match tournament, which is being held in the UAE for the second time, will get underway with three of the host nation’s most acclaimed and beloved singing talents who will open the celebrations in the competition’s theme of ‘Bringing Asia Together.’

With the final 23-strong squads of Asia’s largest-ever cast of 24 teams now officially confirmed ahead of Saturday’s kick-off when hosts UAE take on Bahrain at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, fantasy managers can now test their prowess at emulating some of the world’s greatest coaches in taking the hot seat.

Football fans can now create their dream teams and manage their best 11 from 552 of Asia’s leading stars, which include 2018 AFC Player of the Year, Abdelkarim Hassan from Qatar, Korea Republic’s Son Heung-min, Islamic Republic of Iran’s 2018 FIFA World Cup goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand as well as UAE sharpshooter Ahmed Khalil.

Aspiring managers will be allocated $100 million to kick-start their fantasy journey, rising to $105 million for the knockout phase and will be required to confirm a squad of 15 players, select their starting line-ups and preferred formations before each match.

The eight stadiums will welcome teams from across the Continent, in what will be the competition’s biggest-ever tournament.

In just three days’ time, hosts United Arab Emirates will face Bahrain at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Saturday, at 8.00pm.

The capital city will be the backdrop for both the opening game and the highly-anticipated final, with 20 matches taking place across three stadiums in Abu Dhabi throughout the four-week tournament.

As the countdown begins before the curtains are raised at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, the 24 teams are putting in the finishing touches in their bid for Asia’s ultimate prize.

Qatar have been the busiest team in recent weeks and have showed great ambitions in lifting their first-ever AFC Asian Cup with a convincing 2-0 victory over Jordan and a 1-0 win over AFC Asian Cup debutants Kyrgyz Republic.

However, the West Asian side’s undefeated streak since their win over Switzerland in November came to an end with double losses against Algeria 1-0 and three-time AFC Asian Cup champions Islamic Republic of Iran 2-1.

A total 5,000 volunteers from 113 nationalities, including 37 Asian countries, were selected to volunteer for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. Volunteers in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain already attended the pre-event workshop, where they honed their skills in preparation for their tournament roles, which include welcoming teams, venue operations and management, logistics, media management, hospitality and more.

HE Aref Hamad Al Awani, Tournament Director for the Local Organising Committee highlighted the one important role volunteers have above all else, which is “to spread the excitement and magic of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 to every single person living in the UAE.”

With the largest-ever AFC Asian Cup coming to the UAE next month, more stadiums are being used than ever before, including six homes to UAE Pro League clubs, as part of the eight venues for the four-week tournament.

The thousands of loyal football fans attending UAE Pro League matches each week will now be able to watch the AFC Asian Cup, thanks to the support of their clubs who have agreed to reward their supporters with tickets for selected group stage matches.

Football fans from across the globe will feast their eyes on the abundance of talent from the 552 players selected and leading the way is none other than Uzbekistan’s Ignatiy Nesterov who is in line to join an exclusive elite group to feature in a record fifth AFC Asian Cup tournament.