Three Wild Boars players as well as their assistant coach, will see Thailand’s opening game against India at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday at the invitation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

There will also be a meet and greet for the group with their national heroes and they will receive a behind-the-scenes stadium tour before experiencing VIP access during what promises to be a decisive contest.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “The courage and perseverance of the 12 teenagers and their coach under extremely challenging conditions were a source of inspiration for millions of people across the world.

Four years on from a third-place finish in Australia, Zaccheroni’s charges prepare to face their regional rivals looking to repeat the country’s famous run to the 1996 final when they narrowly lost on penalties to Saudi Arabia.

With excitement building ahead of the tournament’s first fixture, the Italian tactician believes the absence of influential midfielder Omar Abdulrahman and an injury doubt over defender Ismail Ahmed will not prove decisive as the Emiratis look to underline their current title ambitions and secure an immediate advantage in an intriguing Group A that also includes India and Thailand.

Bahrain enter the tournament in fine form thanks to several impressive results during their preparation for the tournament, and are looking to improve on their 2004 Continental outing when they finished fourth.

Despite the potentially daunting task of facing a UAE team backed by their vocal fans at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, Soukup is confident of his side’s prospects heading into their opening fixture.

Together with assistants and compatriots, Ahmad Moannes Al Roalle and Mohammad Mustafa Al Kalaf, he will lead the AFC’s largest-ever cast of 60 match officials of referees and assistant referees, including a trio from CONCACAF.

Makhadmeh has been a FIFA referee since 2013 and officiated in the first-leg of the 2017 AFC Champions League final between Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.

At the AFC Executive Committee meeting at the UAE capital, Shaikh Salman said: “Tomorrow we will witness the kick-off of the biggest-ever AFC Asian Cup when hosts, the United Arab Emirates, take on Bahrain.

“The AFC would like to thank the UAE Government, the Local Organising Committee - and all those involved in delivering this tournament - for their hard work during the past four years.

“History will be made with so many new initiatives for the AFC Asian Cup, which over the months have been introduced for this AFC Asian Cup.

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:

With the Continental showpiece about to kick-off, we have collected all our preview content; group previews, venue guides, all-time XI, ones to watch, top ten lists and full squads are all ready, in one place for your enjoyment.