The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 February 2019.[4]

2019 AFC Asian Cup
كأس آسيا 2019
Tournament details
Host countryUnited Arab Emirates
Dates5 January – 1 February
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)8 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Qatar (1st title)
Runners-up Japan
Tournament statistics
Matches played51
Goals scored130 (2.55 per match)
Attendance644,307 (12,633 per match)
Top scorer(s)Qatar Almoez Ali (9 goals)[1]
Best player(s)Qatar Almoez Ali[1]
Best goalkeeperQatar Saad Al-Sheeb[2]
Fair play award Japan[3]
2015
2023

For the first time, 24 teams competed for the title, replacing the 16-team format used from 2004 to 2015. Under this new format, the finalists would contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout stage of 16 teams. The host nation qualified for the final tournament automatically, while the remaining 23 places were determined among the other 45 national teams of the AFC through a qualifying competition running from 2015 to 2018, part of which also served as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process for the confederation. It was the first of three consecutive Asian Cups held in Middle East, preceding the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The tournament was won for the first time by Qatar, who defeated Japan 3–1 in the final. This was Qatar's first ever top-four finish in the competition. Defending champions Australia were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the hosts United Arab Emirates, who subsequently lost to eventual winners Qatar in the semi-finals.

Host selection

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The bidding procedure and timeline for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup was approved at the AFC congress on 28 November 2012.[5] The winning bid was originally set to be announced at an AFC congress in June, then November 2014.[6] However, at its 60th anniversary celebrations at the end of 2014, AFC gave the date of 'summer 2015' to when an announcement would be made.[7]

In January 2015, AFC general secretary Alex Soosay said that Iran and the United Arab Emirates were the only two remaining bidders for the 2019 Asian Cup, and that the eventual hosts would be announced in March 2015.[8]

On 9 March 2015, during an AFC Executive Committee meeting in Manama, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates was announced as the host.[9] This was the second time the country hosted the tournament, after the 1996 edition.

Teams

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Qualification

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  Qualified for Asian Cup
  Failed to qualify
  Disqualified or withdrew
  Not an AFC member

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification process determined the 24 participating teams for the tournament. In 2014, a proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup with those of the AFC Asian Cup was ratified by the AFC Competitions Committee.[10] The new qualification structure took place in three stages, with the first two merging with the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification[10][11] In the first round, the lowest ranked teams played home-and-away over two legs to reduce the total number of teams to 40. In the second round, the 40 teams were divided into eight groups of five to play home-and-away round-robin matches, where the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals. In the third round, the next best 24 teams eliminated from second round were divided into six groups of four and competed for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[12] The first qualifying round of the qualification took place on 12 March 2015, and the final match of the third round took place on 27 March 2018.[13][14]

Qualified teams

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India, Syria, Thailand, and Turkmenistan qualified for the tournament after being absent in several Asian Cup tournaments spanning from 2004 to 2015. Lebanon and Vietnam both qualified for the first time after hosting the tournaments, in 2000 and 2007 respectively.[15] For Vietnam, this was the first time they qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified nation, having participated as South Vietnam in the first two editions (1956 and 1960), outside of hosting the 2007 edition. This was also the first time Yemen qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified country, due to FIFA and AFC categorizing the participation of South Yemen in the 1976 as a distinct record not related to Yemen, who succeeded North Yemen. In addition to Yemen, Kyrgyzstan[16] and the Philippines[17] also marked this edition as their first times to qualify for an Asian Cup.

Iran qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time as a CAFA member, having qualified as part of the WAFF before. Afghanistan, along with its fellow CAFA member nation Tajikistan, were the only two countries from the Central Asian zone which failed to qualify for the tournament. Indonesia and Malaysia were the only co-hosts of the 2007 edition that did not qualify for the Asian Cup, as Indonesia was barred from entering the qualification due to tension inside the PSSI which led to FIFA suspension; while Malaysia had ended their campaign in disaster with just one point out of six matches. Kuwait was the only West Asian team not to qualify for the Asian Cup, as they were also barred from completing the qualification due to FIFA's sanction. India remained as the only South Asian team to qualify for the tournament. On 13 November 2018, the Asian Football Confederation warned the Iranian government to stop meddling in the country's football association, otherwise, it would have faced sanctions before the Asian Cup.[18]

The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament:

Team Method of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
Previous best
performance
December 2018
FIFA ranking
  United Arab Emirates Hosts 9 March 2015 10th 2015 Runners-up (1996) 79
  Qatar Second round group C winners 17 November 2015 10th 2015 Quarter-finals (2000, 2011) 93
  South Korea Second round group G winners 13 January 2016 14th 2015 Winners (1956, 1960) 53
  Japan Second round group E winners 24 March 2016 9th 2015 Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) 50
  Thailand Second round group F winners 24 March 2016 7th 2007 Third place (1972) 118
  Saudi Arabia Second round group A winners 24 March 2016 10th 2015 Winners (1984, 1988, 1996) 69
  Australia Second round group B winners 29 March 2016 4th 2015 Winners (2015) 41
  Uzbekistan Second round group H winners 29 March 2016 7th 2015 Fourth place (2011) 95
  Iran Second round group D winners 29 March 2016 14th 2015 Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) 29
  Syria Second round group E runners-up 29 March 2016 6th 2011 Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011) 74
  Iraq Second round group F runners-up 29 March 2016 9th 2015 Winners (2007) 88
  China Second round group C runners-up 29 March 2016 12th 2015 Runners-up (1984, 2004) 76
  Palestine Third round group D runners-up 10 October 2017 2nd 2015 Group stage (2015) 99
  Oman Third round group D winners 10 October 2017 4th 2015 Group stage (2004, 2007, 2015) 82
  India Third round group A winners 11 October 2017 4th 2011 Runners-up (1964) 97
  Lebanon Third round group B winners 10 November 2017 2nd 2000 Group stage (2000) 81
  Turkmenistan Third round group E runners-up 14 November 2017 2nd 2004 Group stage (2004) 127
  Jordan Third round group C winners 14 November 2017 4th 2015 Quarter-finals (2004, 2011) 109
  Bahrain Third round group E winners 14 November 2017 6th 2015 Fourth place (2004) 113
  Vietnam Third round group C runners-up 14 November 2017 4th 2007 Fourth place (19561, 19601) 100
  Kyrgyzstan Third round group A runners-up 22 March 2018 1st Debut None 91
  North Korea Third round group B runners-up 27 March 2018 5th 2015 Fourth place (1980) 109
  Philippines Third round group F winners 27 March 2018 1st Debut None 116
  Yemen Third round group F runners-up 27 March 2018 1st2 Debut None 135
2 Yemen once qualified for the 1976 AFC Asian Cup as South Yemen, but according to FIFA and the AFC, the previous records of Yemen are registered as North Yemen instead.

Draw

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Burj Khalifa, the location of the final draw

The draw of the final tournament was held on 4 May 2018, 19:30 GST, at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.[19][20] The FIFA rankings of April 2018 were used as basis for the seeding. The 12 teams that secured their place in the final tournament by the end of the second round of the qualification process were placed in Pots 1 and 2 while the remaining teams which qualified during the third round were allocated to the remaining pots. As hosts, the United Arab Emirates were seeded into Pot 1. The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, with the hosts placed in position A1.[21] Four renowned Asian players: Ali Daei, Sun Jihai, Sunil Chhetri, and Phil Younghusband were chosen to draw the teams.[22]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
  United Arab Emirates (81) (hosts)
  Iran (36)
  Australia (40)
  Japan (60)
  South Korea (61)
  Saudi Arabia (70)
  China (73)
  Syria (76)
  Uzbekistan (88)
  Iraq (88)
  Qatar (101)
  Thailand (122)
  Kyrgyzstan (75)
  Lebanon (82)
  Palestine (83)
  Oman (87)
  India (97)
  Vietnam (103)
  North Korea (112)
  Philippines (113)
  Bahrain (116)
  Jordan (117)
  Yemen (125)
  Turkmenistan (129)

Draw result

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Teams were drawn consecutively into Group A to F. Teams from each pot were assigned to the positions of their groups following by number orders of group stage, for example Pot 1 team were assigned to A1, and continued.

The draw resulted in the following groups:

Group A
Pos Team
A1   United Arab Emirates
A2   Thailand
A3   India
A4   Bahrain
Group B
Pos Team
B1   Australia
B2   Syria
B3   Palestine
B4   Jordan
Group C
Pos Team
C1   South Korea
C2   China
C3   Kyrgyzstan
C4   Philippines
Group D
Pos Team
D1   Iran
D2   Iraq
D3   Vietnam
D4   Yemen
Group E
Pos Team
E1   Saudi Arabia
E2   Qatar
E3   Lebanon
E4   North Korea
Group F
Pos Team
F1   Japan
F2   Uzbekistan
F3   Oman
F4   Turkmenistan

Squads

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Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.[23]

Match officials

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Mexican referee César Ramos consulting the video assistant referee system in the semi-final match between Qatar and the UAE.

On 5 December 2018, the AFC announced the list of 30 referees, 30 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and two stand-by assistant referees, including one referee and two assistant referees from CONCACAF for the tournament.[24][25] Video assistant referees (VAR) would be used from the quarter-finals onwards.[26] In each match, the referee and his assistants were accompanied by two additional assistant referees stationed next to each team's goalpost.

Referees
Assistant referees
  •   Matthew Cream
  •   Anton Shchetinin
  •   Mohamed Salman
  •   Yaser Tulefat
  •   Cao Yi
  •   Huo Weiming
  •   Mohammadreza Mansouri
  •   Reza Sokhandan
  •   Jun Mihara
  •   Hiroshi Yamauchi
  •   Mohammad Al-Kalaf
  •   Ahmad Al-Roalleh
  •   Park Sang-jun
  •   Yoon Kwang-yeol
  •   Sergei Grishchenko
  •   Mohd Yusri Muhamad
  •   Mohd Zainal Abidin
  •   Miguel Hernández
  •   Alberto Morín
  •   Abu Bakar Al-Amri
  •   Rashid Al-Ghaithi
  •   Saud Al-Maqaleh
  •   Taleb Al-Marri
  •   Mohammed Al-Bakri
  •   Ronnie Koh Min Kiat
  •   Palitha Hemathunga
  •   Mohamed Al-Hammadi
  •   Hasan Al-Mahri
  •   Abdukhamidullo Rasulov
  •   Jakhongir Saidov
Video assistant referees
Stand-by referees
  •   Nivon Robesh Gamini
  •   Hanna Hattab
Stand-by assistant referees
  •   Ali Ubaydee
  •   Priyanga Palliya Guruge

Venues

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After being awarded the bid, initially the UAE chose six stadiums to host the tournament. The six stadiums were Zayed Sports City Stadium and Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, and Dubai's Al Ahli Stadium and DSC Stadium. Later, two stadiums in Dubai were dropped due to financial problems and were replaced by Al Maktoum Stadium and Rashid Stadium, which were also located in Dubai.[27]

After the 2015 Asian Cup, the AFC agreed to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24, following the UEFA Euro 2016. Hence, more stadiums were about to be chosen and rebuilt, in which Sharjah and Abu Dhabi won the rights to have more stadiums for the tournament. Sharjah Stadium and Al Nahyan Stadium were chosen aftermath, finalized the number of stadium to eight.

The eight venues used are Zayed Sports City Stadium, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, and Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, Al Maktoum Stadium and Rashid Stadium in Dubai, and Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah.[28]

Abu Dhabi
Zayed Sports City Stadium Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium Al Nahyan Stadium
Capacity: 43,206 Capacity: 36,186 Capacity: 15,894
     
Dubai
Rashid Stadium
Capacity: 12,052
 
Dubai
Al Maktoum Stadium
Capacity: 15,058
 
Al Ain Sharjah
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium Sharjah Stadium
Capacity: 25,053 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 12,499
     

Format

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The tournament was expanded to 24 teams from the previous format of 16 teams, which had been used since 2004.[29] Only the hosts will receive an automatic qualification spot, while the other 23 teams will qualify through a qualification tournament. At the finals, the 24 teams will be drawn into six groups of four teams each. The teams in each group play a single round robin. After the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third teams will advance to the knockout stage, beginning with the round of 16. For the first time since a knockout stage was added to the competition in 1972, there will be no third place play-off.[23]

Schedule

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The AFC announced the official match schedule on 7 May 2018.[30][31] Zayed Sports City Stadium, one of three stadiums in Abu Dhabi, staged both the opening match and the final. At least five matches were allocated to each venue, with every ground hosting at least one match in the knockout stage. The semi-finals were played on different days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. No city hosted two matches on the same day – except in the final round of group stage matches when simultaneous kick-off is required.

Group stage

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The top two teams of each group and the four best third-placed teams advanced to the round of 16.

All times are local, GST (UTC+4).[32]

Tiebreakers

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Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[23]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

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India's Udanta Singh with Thailand's Theerathon Bunmathan and Chatchai Budprom

Group A saw the opening match of the tournament which was a one-all draw between United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Ahmed Khalil getting the equaliser in the 88th minute after going one goal down only ten minutes prior.[33] UAE and Thailand qualified as the top two nations in the group after a 1–1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, and Bahrain qualified in third place after a 1–0 win over India.[34][35] India finished last in the group after they recorded their first win in the Asian Cup for 55 years over Thailand in their opening match, before losing their remaining two games.[36]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   United Arab Emirates (H) 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2   Thailand 3 1 1 1 3 5 −2 4[a]
3   Bahrain 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4[a]
4   India 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Thailand 3, Bahrain 0.
United Arab Emirates  1–1  Bahrain
  • Khalil   88' (pen.)
Report
Thailand  1–4  India
Report

Bahrain  0–1  Thailand
Report
Attendance: 2,720
India  0–2  United Arab Emirates
Report

United Arab Emirates  1–1  Thailand
Report
Attendance: 17,809
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
India  0–1  Bahrain
Report
Attendance: 11,417
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Group B

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Syria's Osama Omari battling for the ball with Palestine's Abdullah Jaber

Group B saw Jordan qualify on top of the group after defeating the defending champions in the opening match from an Anas Bani Yaseen header.[37] This was followed up by a 2–0 win over Syria which saw Syrian manager Bernd Stange sacked after the match and being replaced by Fajr Ibrahim.[38] Joining them in the round of 16 was Australia, who after losing to Jordan in their opening match, got two wins over Palestine[39] and Syria with that match only being won by a goal from Tom Rogic in injury time.[40]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Jordan 3 2 1 0 3 0 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Australia 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
3   Palestine 3 0 2 1 0 3 −3 2
4   Syria 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: AFC
Australia  0–1  Jordan
Report
Attendance: 4,934
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Syria  0–0  Palestine
Report

Jordan  2–0  Syria
Report
Palestine  0–3  Australia
Report
Attendance: 11,915

Australia  3–2  Syria
Report
Palestine  0–0  Jordan
Report

Group C

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Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kutman Kadyrbekov in action against the Philippines

Group C saw South Korea and China qualify through as the top two seeds with the game between the two matches seeing South Korea on top of the group after a 2–0 win.[41] This meant that South Korea finished without conceding a goal after previously getting two 1–0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan.[42][43] In the battle for third place, it was between two newcomers to the competition, with Kyrgyzstan getting their first win in an Asian competition with a hat-trick from Vitalij Lux, securing a 3–1 win for the central Asian team despite a late consolation goal from Stephan Schröck, which was the first Philippine goal in the tournament.[44]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   South Korea 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   China 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6
3   Kyrgyzstan 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4   Philippines 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6 0
Source: AFC
China  2–1  Kyrgyzstan
Report
South Korea  1–0  Philippines
Report
Attendance: 3,185

Philippines  0–3  China
Report
Attendance: 16,013
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Kyrgyzstan  0–1  South Korea
Report

South Korea  2–0  China
Report
Kyrgyzstan  3–1  Philippines
  • Lux   24', 51', 77'
Report

Group D

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Iran's Ashkan Dejagah shaking hands with Iraq's Humam Tariq

Group D saw Iran and Iraq both qualify through to the round of 16 as the top two teams after both finished the group with seven points following their match finishing in a 0–0 draw at the Al Maktoum Stadium.[45] Iran finished top of the group on goal difference, largely in part to their 5–0 defeat of debutantes Yemen in their first game, which included a double from Mehdi Taremi.[46] A 2–0 win over Vietnam saw the team go through with three clean sheets from three.[47] Iraq had a tougher game in their opener against Vietnam, with only a late 90th-minute goal from Ali Adnan securing them three points.[48] This would later be followed with a 3–0 win over Yemen to qualify with Iran, with Vietnam qualifying in third place after a 2–0 victory over Yemen.[49]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Iran 3 2 1 0 7 0 +7 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Iraq 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7
3   Vietnam 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4   Yemen 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Source: AFC
Iran  5–0  Yemen
Report
Iraq  3–2  Vietnam
Report

Vietnam  0–2  Iran
Report
Attendance: 10,841
Yemen  0–3  Iraq
Report
Attendance: 9,757
Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

Vietnam  2–0  Yemen
Report
Attendance: 8,237
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Iran  0–0  Iraq
Report
Attendance: 15,038

Group E

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Lebanon's Felix Michel Melki challenging Qatar's Akram Afif

Group E witnessed Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualify for the round of 16. In the decisive match for first place, Qatar beat Saudi Arabia 2–0, thanks to a brace by Almoez Ali.[50] Qatar began their campaign with a comfortable, albeit controversial, 2–0 win over Lebanon,[51] before beating North Korea 6–0, sealing their place in the knockout stage.[52] Ali was decisive in both games, scoring a goal against Lebanon,[51] and four goals against North Korea.[52] Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia opened their account with a 4–0 win over North Korea,[53] before booking a place to the next round by beating Lebanon 2–0.[54] In their last fixture, Lebanon beat North Korea 4–1 with a Hilal El-Helwe brace; the win was Lebanon's first in the competition.[55] However, Lebanon missed out on the next round on fair play points.[55]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Qatar 3 3 0 0 10 0 +10 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
3   Lebanon 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4   North Korea 3 0 0 3 1 14 −13 0
Source: AFC
Saudi Arabia  4–0  North Korea
Report
Attendance: 5,075
Qatar  2–0  Lebanon
Report
Attendance: 7,847
Referee: Ma Ning (China PR)

Lebanon  0–2  Saudi Arabia
Report
Attendance: 13,792
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
North Korea  0–6  Qatar
Report

Saudi Arabia  0–2  Qatar
Report
  • Ali   45+1', 80'
Lebanon  4–1  North Korea
Report
Attendance: 4,332

Group F

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Japan v Turkmenistan

Group F saw Japan and Uzbekistan progressing to the round of 16, with Japan defeating Uzbekistan 2–1 to finish in first place.[56] Japan began their campaign with a 3–2 victory over Turkmenistan,[57] before beating Oman 1–0 to qualify for the knockout stage.[58] Uzbekistan, on the other hand, beat Oman 2–1 thanks to an 85th-minute goal by Eldor Shomurodov,[59] before beating their neighbors Turkmenistan 4–0.[60] Oman qualified for the next round for the first time, after winning 3–1 over Turkmenistan, with Mohammed Al-Musalami scoring a goal in the injury time.[61]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Japan 3 3 0 0 6 3 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   Uzbekistan 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 6
3   Oman 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4   Turkmenistan 3 0 0 3 3 10 −7 0
Source: AFC
Japan  3–2  Turkmenistan
Report
Attendance: 5,725
Uzbekistan  2–1  Oman
Report
Attendance: 9,424

Oman  0–1  Japan
Report
Turkmenistan  0–4  Uzbekistan
Report

Oman  3–1  Turkmenistan
Report
Japan  2–1  Uzbekistan
Report

Ranking of third-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A   Bahrain 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4 Advance to knockout stage
2 C   Kyrgyzstan 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3[a]
3 F   Oman 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3[a]
4 D   Vietnam 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3[b]
5 E   Lebanon 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3[b]
6 B   Palestine 3 0 2 1 0 3 −3 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.[23]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Disciplinary points: Kyrgyzstan −5, Oman −6.
  2. ^ a b Disciplinary points: Vietnam −5, Lebanon −7.

Knockout stage

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Player lineup prior to the Qatar v UAE kickoff

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[23] A fourth substitution could be made during extra time.[62]

Bracket

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Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
20 January – Al Ain (HBZ)
 
 
  Thailand1
 
24 January – Abu Dhabi (MBZ)
 
  China2
 
  China0
 
20 January – Abu Dhabi (MBZ)
 
  Iran3
 
  Iran2
 
28 January – Al Ain (HBZ)
 
  Oman0
 
  Iran0
 
20 January – Dubai (Al Maktoum)
 
  Japan3
 
  Jordan1 (2)
 
24 January – Dubai (Al Maktoum)
 
  Vietnam (p)1 (4)
 
  Vietnam0
 
21 January – Sharjah
 
  Japan1
 
  Japan1
 
1 February – Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports)
 
  Saudi Arabia0
 
  Japan1
 
22 January – Dubai (Rashid)
 
  Qatar3
 
  South Korea (a.e.t.)2
 
25 January – Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports)
 
  Bahrain1
 
  South Korea0
 
22 January – Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan)
 
  Qatar1
 
  Qatar1
 
29 January – Abu Dhabi (MBZ)
 
  Iraq0
 
  Qatar4
 
21 January – Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports)
 
  United Arab Emirates0
 
  United Arab Emirates (a.e.t.)3
 
25 January – Al Ain (HBZ)
 
  Kyrgyzstan2
 
  United Arab Emirates1
 
21 January – Al Ain (KBZ)
 
  Australia0
 
  Australia (p)0 (4)
 
 
  Uzbekistan0 (2)
 

Round of 16

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Thailand  1–2  China
Report

Iran  2–0  Oman
Report

Japan  1–0  Saudi Arabia
Report

Australia  0–0 (a.e.t.)  Uzbekistan
Report
Penalties
4–2

United Arab Emirates  3–2 (a.e.t.)  Kyrgyzstan
Report

South Korea  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Bahrain
Report
Attendance: 7,658
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Qatar  1–0  Iraq
Report
Attendance: 14,701

Quarter-finals

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Vietnam  0–1  Japan
Report

China  0–3  Iran
Report

South Korea  0–1  Qatar
Report

United Arab Emirates  1–0  Australia
Report
Attendance: 25,053
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Semi-finals

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Iran  0–3  Japan
Report

Qatar  4–0  United Arab Emirates
Report

Final

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Japan  1–3  Qatar
Report

Statistics

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Goalscorers

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There were 130 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.55 goals per match.

9 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

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A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[23]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player(s) Offence(s) Suspension(s)
  Zheng Zhi   in Qualification vs Qatar (qualification; 5 September 2017) Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 7 January)
  Mohammed Saleh     in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January) Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)
  Han Kwang-song     in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January) Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
  Egor Krimets   in Group F vs Oman (matchday 1; 9 January) Group F vs Turkmenistan (matchday 2; 13 January)
  Pansa Hemviboon   in Group A vs India (matchday 1; 6 January)
  in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January)
Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)
  Musa Al-Taamari   in Group B vs Australia (matchday 1; 6 January)
  in Group B vs Syria (matchday 2; 10 January)
Group B vs Palestine (matchday 3; 15 January)
  Trent Sainsbury   in Group B vs Jordan (matchday 1; 6 January)
  in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group B vs Syria (matchday 3; 15 January)
  Jonathan Cantillana   in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January)
  in Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group B vs Jordan (matchday 3; 15 January)
  Lee Yong   in Group C vs Philippines (matchday 1; 7 January)
  in Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 2; 11 January)
Group C vs China PR (matchday 3; 16 January)
  Đỗ Duy Mạnh   in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 1; 8 January)
  in Group D vs Iran (matchday 2; 12 January)
Group D vs Yemen (matchday 3; 16 January)
  Salem Al-Dawsari   in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 1; 8 January)
  in Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 2; 12 January)
Group E vs Qatar (matchday 3; 17 January)
  Ri Il-jin   in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January)
  in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 3; 17 January)
  Jong Il-gwan     in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
  Adisorn Promrak
  Suphan Thongsong
  in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January)
  in Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)
Round of 16 vs China PR (20 January)
  Zhang Linpeng   in Group C vs South Korea (matchday 3; 16 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Thailand (20 January)
Quarter-final vs Iran (24 January)
  Vahid Amiri   in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 16 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Oman (20 January)
Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)
  Yoshinori Muto   in Group F vs Uzbekistan (matchday 3; 17 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Saudi Arabia (21 January)
Quarter-final vs Vietnam (24 January)
  Tom Rogic   in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Uzbekistan (21 January)
Quarter-final vs United Arab Emirates (25 January)
  Khamis Esmaeel   in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 1; 5 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Kyrgyzstan (21 January)
Quarter-final vs Australia (25 January)
  Abdelkarim Hassan   in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 2; 13 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)
  Assim Madibo   in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January)
  in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
  Mehdi Taremi   in Group D vs Vietnam (matchday 2; 12 January)
  in Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)
Semi-final vs Japan (28 January)
  Abdulaziz Hatem   in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January)
  in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)
Semi-final vs United Arab Emirates (29 January)
  Bassam Al-Rawi   in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
  in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)

Awards

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Most Valuable Player
Top Goalscorer
Best Goalkeeper
Fair Play Award
Team of the tournament

According to the AFC organization committee, eight players from the winning Qatari team and five players from the runner-up Japanese team were selected in the team of the tournament. Six players from teams which progressed to the semi-finals (Iran and the United Arab Emirates) were also selected. In addition, four players from teams which progressed to the quarter-finals were selected.[64]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards

  Saad Al Sheeb
  Shūichi Gonda
  Alireza Beiranvand

  Abdelkarim Hassan
  Bassam Al-Rawi
  Boualem Khoukhi
  Yuto Nagatomo
  Maya Yoshida
  Bandar Al-Ahbabi
  Kim Min-jae

  Abdulaziz Hatem
  Hassan Al-Haydos
  Gaku Shibasaki
  Ashkan Dejagah
  Omid Ebrahimi
  Tom Rogic

  Almoez Ali
  Akram Afif
  Yuya Osako
  Sardar Azmoun
  Ali Mabkhout
  Wu Lei
  Nguyễn Quang Hải

Marketing

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The Molten Acentec ball used at the tournament
 
The new trophy design
 
Iran national team bus

Logo and slogan

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The official logo of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup was unveiled on 23 January 2017 in Abu Dhabi during the drawing ceremony for the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification.[65] The colors used in the logo were derived from the flag of the UAE. The seven hexagons formed by colored ribbons represents the seven emirates of the host country. The interlacing hexagon pattern of the logo was inspired from Islamic art, as well as the old Emirati tradition of using palm leaves, locally known as saf, in weaving. The outer circle along with the geometric design within it symbolizes the sport of football.[66]

The slogan, "Bringing Asia Together" (Arabic: جمع آسيا معاً), was unveiled on 5 January 2018, a year before the tournament's kick-off.

Match ball

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The official match ball, the Molten Acentec, was made by Molten Corporation.[67][68]

Mascots

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Meow Mansour During the final draw on 4 May 2018, two mascots, Mansour and Jarrah, were unveiled. Mansour is a young footballer, while Jarrah is a falcon with lightning speed [sic]. The falcon is an important symbol of the Arab world and also features on the emblem of the United Arab Emirates.[69]

Song

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Theme song was Zanaha Zayed by Hussain Al Jassmi, Balqees Ahmed Fathi and Eida Al Menhali.[70]

Trophy

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Also on the drawing day on 4 May 2018, a new trophy made by Thomas Lyte was unveiled. It is 78 centimetres tall, 42 centimetres wide and weighs 15 kilograms of silver.[71] The trophy is modeled over the lotus flower, a symbolic flower of Asia. The five petals of the lotus symbolise the five sub-confederations under the AFC.[72] The winning teams' names are engraved around the trophy base, which is separable from the trophy's main body.

Prize money

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For the first time in AFC Asian Cup history, the AFC awarded prize money to participating teams.[73] The total prize money pool for the tournament was US$14,800,000.[74] The champions received US$5 million, the runners-up received US$3 million, and the losing semi-finalists would receive US$1 million. All 24 participating teams also received US$200,000.[75]

Team bus slogans

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The tournament organizers held a competition where fans got to choose and vote on slogans to be used on the team buses of the 24 participating national teams.[76]

Sponsorship

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Official Sponsors

Official Supporters

TAG Heuer was the official timekeeper of the tournament.[80]

Broadcasting

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The tournament was broadcast live by around 80 TV channels covering the whole world. 800 million people were expected to watch matches,[81] with the tournament reaching a potential TV audience of more than 2.5 billion people.[82] Below was the list of confirmed broadcasting right holders for 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

ESPN5 made a "competitive bid" to broadcast the tournament on free-to-air television in the Philippines, but it was not accepted by the AFC.[83][84]

In the Middle East, where Qatar-based BeIN Sports has rights to broadcast the Asian Cup in the region, BeoutQ (allegedly backed by Saudi Arabia) also illegally broadcast the tournament as part of a proxy conflict in a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and various Arab states. The AFC has noted BeoutQ's broadcast and condemned it for "persistent and illegal screening".[85]

Broadcast rights are sold by Lagardère Sports on behalf of the AFC.[85]

Country or Territory Television broadcaster(s) Online/streaming transmission Ref.
Middle East and North Africa BeIN Sports BeIN Sports Connect
Anglo America
DAZN[a] [86]
Balkan Countries
Arena Sport Klik Sport
  Afghanistan Lemar TV
  Australia Fox Sports Foxtel Go [87]
MyFootball
Kayo Sports
  Brazil Band, BandSports, RedeTV!
  Cambodia BTV News
  China CCTV PPTV
Youku
  France BeIN Sports[b] BeIN Sports Connect [88]
  Hong Kong Fox Sports Fox+[c] [89]
  Papua New Guinea
  Taiwan Fox Sports
  India Star Sports Hotstar [90]
  Iran IRIB TV3 Anten
Varzesh
  Japan TV Asahi
NHK BS1
  Kyrgyzstan KTRK Sport
  Lebanon Télé Liban[d] [91]
  Qatar Al Kass
  South Korea JTBC [92]
JTBC3 Fox Sports
  Thailand Channel 7[e] Bugaboo TV
  Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Sport
Bet365 [85]
  Uzbekistan Sport-UZ Mediabay
  Vietnam VTV[f] VTV Go
  1. ^ DAZN only broadcast seven of 51 matches, starting from the quarter-finals.
  2. ^ Live coverage for final only, with highlights of all matches.
  3. ^ Fox+ broadcast all 51 matches for Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan viewers only.
  4. ^ Lebanon matches only.
  5. ^ Channel 7 broadcast Thailand matches only, with all 51 matches also live and free on Bugaboo TV.
  6. ^ shared by Fox Sports Asia

Controversies

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Australia vs. Palestine

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Many ticket-holding fans were locked out of the Group B match between Palestine and Australia, with management closing a number of Rashid Stadium gates before the start of the match “in the interests of fan safety”. Rashid Stadium was one of the smallest stadiums in the tournament with only 12,000 seats and many non-ticket holding fans attempted to watch the match without buying tickets. The organizing committee issued a statement for the reasons of closure stating “Ahead of kick-off a large crowd of fans with and without tickets had gathered over a short period of time outside the stadium, which resulted in the need to secure the area." They then issued an apology to supporters who were “inconvenienced or left disappointed” and issued an investigative probe to insure it to be an isolated incident.[93]

Qatar travel complications

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As a result of Qatar diplomatic crisis between Qatar and number of its neighbours since 5 June 2017, including the United Arab Emirates as the host country, the UAE suspended all direct flights between the two countries and initially banned Qatari citizens from entering their country,[94] although the Emirati government later announced that it would permit Qatari citizens temporary entry into the country pending approval from Emirati authorities.[95] According to a report, Saoud al-Mohannadi, a Qatari national who is the AFC vice-president and chairman of the organizing committee for the Asian Cup, was unable to enter the UAE two days prior to the tournament's start because Emirati authorities had not yet cleared him.[96] The director of the 2019 AFC Organizing Committee denied reports that Al Mohannadi was refused entry and declared that Al Mohannadi has arrived on Friday morning and was preparing for his meetings. The director stated that there was no evidence that shows he was unable to enter and stated that this news has "political purposes". He stated "We try to keep sports away from politics."[97]

The diplomatic crisis prevented many fans from attending Qatar matches in the UAE. This had affected attendance figures in Qatar matches, as little more than 450 people spectated the Group E clash between North Korea and Qatar on 13 January.[98] The UAE government had confirmed previously that Qatari citizens may enter UAE with prior permission obtained directly through a hotline from UAE authorities.[95]

According to Qatar's Sports Press Committee, five Qatar-based media representatives were denied entry into the UAE despite having entry visas and receiving assurances that they would be allowed to attend and report on the tournament by the AFC.[99] The AFC Media Committee dismissed the Qatari reports and stated that some of the Qatar-based journalists confused visit visas with work visas and advised all journalists to contact them if they encounter any issues with the entry visa type.[100]

According to Al Jazeera, the final match, which was won by Qatar, was played "almost entirely without" Qatari support from the stands, due to the travel ban.[101] However, according to Qatar-based The Peninsula large number of Omani fans supported the Qatari team in the stadium, stating "The large number of fans who supported the Qatari team were wearing the logo of Al Annabi [The Maroons] with the background of the names of various players. Apart from their attendance, they carried flags in the stadium and continued to cheer for Al Annabi [The Maroons] players and sing songs throughout the game."[102]

Footwear-throwing incident

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During the semi-final match between Qatar and hosts United Arab Emirates, some UAE supporters threw bottles and footwear into the match after Qatari players scored their second goal; the latter is considered to be highly offensive in the Middle East. One of the Qatari players, Salem Al Hajri, was struck on the head with a shoe after Qatar scored its third goal. This conduct was preceded by booing the Qatari national anthem. The two countries had had a hostile relationship and had cut diplomatic ties due to the ongoing diplomatic crisis.[103] Qatar won 4–0 despite the events, reaching their first Asian Cup final.[104][105][106] Afterwards, the AFC declared that it would conduct an investigation into the proceedings.[105][107]

Qatar player eligibility

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On 30 January 2019, soon after the hosts lost to Qatar in the semi-finals, the United Arab Emirates Football Association lodged a formal appeal to the AFC over the eligibility of Sudanese-born Almoez Ali and Iraqi-born Bassam Al-Rawi, claiming that they did not qualify to play for Qatar on residency grounds per Article 7 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA statutes, which states a player is eligible to play for a representative team if he has "lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association".[108] It was alleged that Ali and Al-Rawi had not lived continuously in Qatar for at least five years over the age of 18, although the players claimed that their mothers were born in Qatar.[109]

Only hours prior to the start of the final on 1 February 2019, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced that it had dismissed the protest lodged by the UAEFA.[110][111]

Qatar football shirt fan incident

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A British-Sudanese football fan claimed that he was beaten and arrested for wearing a Qatari shirt to a match in which Qatar were playing and then, after reporting to the police, arrested and accused of wasting police time and making false statements of being assaulted.[112][113][114][115] In an interview with Sky News, he claimed he was beaten, starved, and deprived of sleep by the police for wearing a Qatar shirt.[116] The fan claims were denied by UAE authorities who stated that he was arrested for wasting police time and making false assault claims to the police.

"The police took him to hospital where a doctor who examined him concluded that his injuries were inconsistent with his account of events and appeared to be self-inflicted,"
 – The government said.[117]

The police claimed that the fan had admitted to making false statements and his offense will be processed through the courts. An official in the UAE embassy in London stated “He was categorically not arrested for wearing a Qatar football shirt. This is instead an instance of a person seeking media attention and wasting police time.”[114][115][118][119]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Record-breaker Almoez Ali named MVP". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Qatar's Saad Al Sheeb crowned Best Goalkeeper". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Qatar clinch historic title". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  4. ^ "AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 stadiums and match dates confirmed". Asian Football Confederation.
  5. ^ "Maldives to host 2014 AFC Challenge Cup". AFC. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  6. ^ "New 60,000 stadium to be built in Dubai Sports City as part of 2019 Asian Cup bid". Arabian Industry.com. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Decision on next Asian Cup hosts unlikely before mid-2015". Yahoo! Eurosport UK. 29 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Asian Cup: Australia backed as future World Cup host by AFC general secretary". ABC News. abc.net.au. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  9. ^ "United Arab Emirates to host 2019 AFC Asian Cup". the-afc.com. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016.
  10. ^ a b calciocorea (11 June 2014). "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Chollima Football Fans (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  11. ^ Release, Press (16 April 2014). "AFC Asian Cup to be expanded to 24 teams". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  12. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". Asian Football Confederation. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  13. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2015.
  14. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016–2018" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2017.
  15. ^ "How Lebanon qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup". Socceroos. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2019.