Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: From its humble beginnings in 1956, the AFC Asian Cup has developed into the Continent’s premier football tournament, bringing together the top national teams from the length and breadth of Asia to compete for one of international football’s most sought-after prizes every four years.
With the Official Draw of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 UAE just two days away, the-AFC.com reviews how the competition has progressed into the Continent's most prestigious football tournament.
The tournament had its roots in the formation of the Asian Football Confederation in Manila in 1954. The 12 founding members of the AFC sought to shape the development of the game in Asia and one of the keys to achieving that aim was the organisation of a regional competition for the continent’s national sides.
Some two years later, the first ever AFC Asian Cup was staged in Hong Kong with eight Member Associations vying for the right to be declared champions of Asia.
Over half a century later, the AFC Asian Cup has grown to encompass teams from throughout the continent and has become the barometer by which the continually changing balance of power in Asian football is measured.
https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/japan_2004_asiancup_3.html
https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/photo/trip_down_memory_lane.html
Trip down memory lane