Azkals midfielder Luke Woodland (pictured above, centre) was born in Abu Dhabi, just over an hour away from Dubai's Al Maktoum Stadium, where the Southeast Asians will begin their Group C campaign against the highly-rated Korea Republic.

Woodland's family relocated to England when he was two years old, but he revealed his delight at returning to the country of his birth for the Philippines' historic first step on the Continental stage.

Korea Republic and the Philippines will square off at the Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai. China and Kyrgyz Republic are the two other teams in the group.

Although Korea Republic have not won the continental title since 1960, the Taeguk Warriors are consistent performers at the AFC Asian Cup, having taken four runners-up and four third-place finishes. The Philippines, meanwhile, are making their first appearance at the Finals.

Debutants Kyrgyz Republic and Philippines are out to make a statement and this means Korea Republic and China can't take progression for granted.

Join the-AFC.com as we preview what promises to be an exciting Group C.

Had he been selected, his Cardiff City schedule would have allowed him to play one game for his country — against Korea Republic on January 7 — which he felt would have been unfair to other aspirants for the job, the 28-year-old said after manager Sven-Goran Eriksson named his 23-man squad on Thursday.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make,” Etheridge told Philippines media. “As people know, I’ve worked so hard to be playing every week in the Premier League. After a long discussion with people involved, it would be unfair for me to take a spot of another player.”

In his career so far, Schrock, 32, has played a part in several historic milestones for Filipino football.

From lining up in the Philippines side that achieved the 'Miracle of Hanoi' to secure a maiden AFF Cup semi-final place in 2010, to turning club side Ceres Negros into a force to be reckoned with in continental club football - winning the inaugural AFC Cup ASEAN Zone in 2017 and then defeating Brisbane Roar in Australia in the 2018 AFC Champions League play-offs.

A frenetic final day of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 saw DPR Korea, the Philippines and Yemen taking the last three available spots on Tuesday.

Kyrgyz Republic ended their campaign with a 2-1 win over India in Group A but they had sealed their place in the Finals after defeating Myanmar 5-1 last Thursday.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the three teams who have taken their place among the Continent’s best for next January’s extravaganza in the United Arab Emirates.

The 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, which will be the biggest and best Continental showpiece, kicks off on Saturday with hosts United Arab Emirates taking on Bahrain in their Group A opener at the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Check out the individual national team kits by groups below: