| كأس آسيا 2019 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United Arab Emirates |
| Dates | 5 January – 1 February |
| Teams | 24 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Qatar (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Japan |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 51 |
| Goals scored | 130 (2.55 per match) |
| Attendance | 644,307 (12,633 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Almoez Ali(9 goals)[1] |
| Best player(s) | Almoez Ali[1] |
| Bestgoalkeeper | Saad Al-Sheeb[2] |
| Fair play award | Japan[3] |
←2015 2023 → | |
The2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called theAsian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men'sAFC Asian Cup, thequadrennial internationalfootball championship of Asia organised by theAsian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in theUnited Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 February 2019.[4]
For the first time, 24 teams competed for the title, replacing the 16-team format used from2004 to2015. 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 aqualifying competition running from 2015 to 2018, part of which also served as part of the2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process for the confederation. It was the first of three consecutive Asian Cups held inMiddle East, preceding the2023 AFC Asian Cup inQatar and the2027 AFC Asian Cup inSaudi Arabia.
The tournament was won for the first time byQatar, who defeatedJapan 3–1 in thefinal. This was Qatar's first ever top-four finish in the competition. Defending championsAustralia were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the hostsUnited Arab Emirates, who subsequently lost to eventual winners Qatar in the semi-finals.
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 inManama, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates was announced as the host.[9] This was the second time the country hosted the tournament, after the1996 edition.
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 theFIFA World Cup with those of theAFC 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 the2018 FIFA World Cup qualification[10][11] In the first round, the lowest ranked teams played home-and-away overtwo 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-awayround-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]
India,Syria,Thailand, andTurkmenistan qualified for the tournament after being absent in several Asian Cup tournaments spanning from2004 to2015.Lebanon andVietnam both qualified for the first time after hosting the tournaments, in2000 and2007 respectively.[15] For Vietnam, this was the first time they qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified nation, having participated asSouth Vietnam in the first two editions (1956 and1960), outside of hosting the 2007 edition. This was also the first timeYemen qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified country, due to FIFA and AFC categorizing the participation ofSouth Yemen in the1976 as a distinct record not related to Yemen, who succeeded North Yemen. In addition to Yemen,Kyrgyzstan[16] and thePhilippines[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 theWAFF before.Afghanistan, along with its fellow CAFA member nationTajikistan, were the only two countries from the Central Asian zone which failed to qualify for the tournament.Indonesia andMalaysia 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 thePSSI 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 onlySouth 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 |
The draw of the final tournament was held on 4 May 2018, 19:30GST, at theArmani Hotel in theBurj Khalifa inDubai.[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 thesecond round of the qualification process were placed in Pots 1 and 2 while the remaining teams which qualified during thethird round were allocated to the remaining pots. As hosts, theUnited 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, andPhil 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) |
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:
|
|
|
|
|
|
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]
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 fromCONCACAF 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.
Chris BeathPeter GreenNawaf ShukrallaFu MingMa Ning
Liu Kwok ManAlireza FaghaniAli SabahMohanad Qasim SarrayJumpei IidaHiroyuki KimuraRyuji SatoAhmed Faisal Al-AliAdham MakhadmehKim Dong-jinKo Hyung-jin
Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob
César RamosAhmed Al-KafAbdulrahman Al-JassimKhamis Al-KuwariKhamis Al-MarriTurki Al-Khudhayr
Muhammad Taqi
Hettikamkanamge PereraAmmar Al-JeneibiMohammed Abdulla Hassan MohamedRavshan IrmatovValentin KovalenkoIlgiz TantashevMatthew Cream Anton Shchetinin Mohamed Salman Yaser Tulefat Cao Yi Huo WeimingMohammadreza 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-MahriAbdukhamidullo Rasulov Jakhongir Saidov Nivon Robesh Gamini Hanna Hattab Ali Ubaydee Priyanga Palliya GurugeAfter being awarded the bid, initially the UAE chose six stadiums to host the tournament. The six stadiums wereZayed Sports City Stadium andMohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi,Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium andKhalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, and Dubai'sAl Ahli Stadium andDSC Stadium. Later, two stadiums in Dubai were dropped due to financial problems and were replaced byAl Maktoum Stadium andRashid Stadium, which were also located in Dubai.[27]
After the2015 Asian Cup, the AFC agreed to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24, following theUEFA 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 andAl Nahyan Stadium were chosen aftermath, finalized the number of stadium to eight.
The eight venues used areZayed Sports City Stadium,Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, andAl Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi,Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium andKhalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain,Al Maktoum Stadium andRashid Stadium in Dubai, andSharjah 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 |
 |  |  |
The tournament was expanded to 24 teams from the previous format of 16 teams, which had been used since2004.[29] Only the hosts will receive an automatic qualification spot, while the other 23 teams will qualify through aqualification 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 in1972, there will be nothird place play-off.[23]
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.
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]
Teams were ranked according topoints (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]
Group A saw the opening match of the tournament which was a one-all draw betweenUnited Arab Emirates andBahrain, withAhmed Khalil getting the equaliser in the 88th minute after going one goal down only ten minutes prior.[33] UAE andThailand qualified as the top two nations in the group after a 1–1 draw at theHazza bin Zayed Stadium, and Bahrain qualified in third place after a 1–0 win overIndia.[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 toknockout 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 |
Group B saw Jordan qualify on top of the group after defeating the defending champions in the opening match from anAnas Bani Yaseen header.[37] This was followed up by a 2–0 win over Syria which saw Syrian managerBernd Stange sacked after the match and being replaced byFajr 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 fromTom 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 toknockout 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 |
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 fromVitalij Lux, securing a 3–1 win for the central Asian team despite a late consolation goal fromStephan 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 toknockout 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 |
| China | 2–1 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| South Korea | 2–0 | China |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Kyrgyzstan | 3–1 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
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 theAl 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 fromMehdi 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 fromAli 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 toknockout 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 |
Group E witnessedQatar and Saudi Arabia qualify for the round of 16. In the decisive match for first place, Qatar beatSaudi Arabia 2–0, thanks to a brace byAlmoez Ali.[50] Qatar began their campaign with a comfortable, albeit controversial, 2–0 win overLebanon,[51] before beatingNorth 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 aHilal 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 toknockout 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 |
| Saudi Arabia | 4–0 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 0–2 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Lebanon | 4–1 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group F sawJapan andUzbekistan 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 beatingOman 1–0 to qualify for the knockout stage.[58] Uzbekistan, on the other hand, beat Oman 2–1 thanks to an 85th-minute goal byEldor 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, withMohammed 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 toknockout 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 |
| Uzbekistan | 2–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Turkmenistan | 0–4 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Oman | 3–1 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Japan | 2–1 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Advance toknockout 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 |
In the knockout stage,extra time andpenalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[23] A fourth substitution could be made during extra time.[62]
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 20 January –Al Ain (HBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Thailand | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 24 January –Abu Dhabi (MBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| China | 2 | |||||||||||||
| China | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 20 January –Abu Dhabi (MBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Iran | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Iran | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 28 January –Al Ain (HBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Oman | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Iran | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 20 January –Dubai (Al Maktoum) | ||||||||||||||
| Japan | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Jordan | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| 24 January –Dubai (Al Maktoum) | ||||||||||||||
| Vietnam(p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Vietnam | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 21 January –Sharjah | ||||||||||||||
| Japan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Japan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1 February –Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports) | ||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Japan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 22 January –Dubai (Rashid) | ||||||||||||||
| Qatar | 3 | |||||||||||||
| South Korea(a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 25 January –Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports) | ||||||||||||||
| Bahrain | 1 | |||||||||||||
| South Korea | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 22 January –Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) | ||||||||||||||
| Qatar | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Qatar | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 29 January –Abu Dhabi (MBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Iraq | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Qatar | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 21 January –Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports) | ||||||||||||||
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | |||||||||||||
| United Arab Emirates(a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 25 January –Al Ain (HBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Kyrgyzstan | 2 | |||||||||||||
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 21 January –Al Ain (KBZ) | ||||||||||||||
| Australia | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Australia(p) | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 0 (2) | |||||||||||||
| South Korea | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
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
Apostolos GiannouChris IkonomidisJamie MaclarenTom RogicJamal RashidGao LinXiao ZhiJeje LalpekhluaAnirudh ThapaKarim AnsarifardSaman GhoddosAlireza JahanbakhshAlaa AbbasAli AdnanBashar ResanHumam TariqTakumi MinaminoYoshinori MutoTsukasa ShiotaniTakehiro TomiyasuBaha' Abdel-RahmanAnas Bani YaseenTareq KhattabMusa Al-TaamariAkhlidin IsrailovMirlan MurzaevTursunali RustamovHassan MaatoukFelix Michel MelkiPak Kwang-ryongAhmed KanoMohammed Al-MusalamiStephan SchröckAkram AfifAbdelkarim HassanHassan Al-HaydosHamid IsmailHattan BahebriSalem Al-DawsariMohammed Al-FatilHousain Al-MogahwiHwang Hee-chanKim Jin-suOmar KharbinOmar Al SomahChanathip SongkrasinSupachai JaidedTeerasil DangdaThitipan PuangchanArslanmyrat AmanowAltymyrat AnnadurdyýewAhmet AtaýewKhamis EsmaeelKhalfan MubarakOdil AhmedovJaloliddin MasharipovJavokhir SidikovNguyễn Quang HảiQuế Ngọc Hải1 own goal
Ali Faez (against Vietnam)Pavel Matyash (against China PR)A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[23]
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:
| Player(s) | Offence(s) | Suspension(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Zheng Zhi |  inQualification vsQatar (qualification; 5 September 2017) | Group C vsKyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 7 January) |
| Mohammed Saleh |   inGroup B vsSyria (matchday 1; 6 January) | Group B vsAustralia (matchday 2; 11 January) |
| Han Kwang-song | inGroup E vsSaudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January) | Group E vsQatar (matchday 2; 13 January) |
| Egor Krimets | inGroup F vsOman (matchday 1; 9 January) | Group F vsTurkmenistan (matchday 2; 13 January) |
| Pansa Hemviboon | inGroup A vsIndia (matchday 1; 6 January) inGroup A vsBahrain (matchday 2; 10 January) | Group A vsUnited Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January) |
| Musa Al-Taamari | inGroup B vsAustralia (matchday 1; 6 January) inGroup B vsSyria (matchday 2; 10 January) | Group B vsPalestine (matchday 3; 15 January) |
| Trent Sainsbury | inGroup B vsJordan (matchday 1; 6 January) inGroup B vsPalestine (matchday 2; 11 January) | Group B vsSyria (matchday 3; 15 January) |
| Jonathan Cantillana | inGroup B vsSyria (matchday 1; 6 January) inGroup B vsAustralia (matchday 2; 11 January) | Group B vsJordan (matchday 3; 15 January) |
| Lee Yong | inGroup C vsPhilippines (matchday 1; 7 January) inGroup C vsKyrgyzstan (matchday 2; 11 January) | Group C vsChina PR (matchday 3; 16 January) |
| Đỗ Duy Mạnh | inGroup D vsIraq (matchday 1; 8 January) inGroup D vsIran (matchday 2; 12 January) | Group D vsYemen (matchday 3; 16 January) |
| Salem Al-Dawsari | inGroup E vsNorth Korea (matchday 1; 8 January) inGroup E vsLebanon (matchday 2; 12 January) | Group E vsQatar (matchday 3; 17 January) |
| Ri Il-jin | inGroup E vsSaudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January) inGroup E vsQatar (matchday 2; 13 January) | Group E vsLebanon (matchday 3; 17 January) |
| Jong Il-gwan | inGroup E vsQatar (matchday 2; 13 January) | |
| Adisorn PromrakSuphan Thongsong | inGroup A vsBahrain (matchday 2; 10 January) inGroup A vsUnited Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January) | Round of 16 vsChina PR (20 January) |
| Zhang Linpeng | inGroup C vsSouth Korea (matchday 3; 16 January) inRound of 16 vsThailand (20 January) | Quarter-final vsIran (24 January) |
| Vahid Amiri | inGroup D vsIraq (matchday 3; 16 January) inRound of 16 vsOman (20 January) | Quarter-final vsChina PR (24 January) |
| Yoshinori Muto | inGroup F vsUzbekistan (matchday 3; 17 January) inRound of 16 vsSaudi Arabia (21 January) | Quarter-final vsVietnam (24 January) |
| Tom Rogic | inGroup B vsPalestine (matchday 2; 11 January) inRound of 16 vsUzbekistan (21 January) | Quarter-final vsUnited Arab Emirates (25 January) |
| Khamis Esmaeel | inGroup A vsBahrain (matchday 1; 5 January) inRound of 16 vsKyrgyzstan (21 January) | Quarter-final vsAustralia (25 January) |
| Abdelkarim Hassan | inGroup E vsNorth Korea (matchday 2; 13 January) inRound of 16 vsIraq (22 January) | Quarter-final vsSouth Korea (25 January) |
| Assim Madibo | inGroup E vsSaudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January) inRound of 16 vsIraq (22 January) | |
| Mehdi Taremi | inGroup D vsVietnam (matchday 2; 12 January) inQuarter-final vsChina PR (24 January) | Semi-final vsJapan (28 January) |
| Abdulaziz Hatem | inGroup E vsSaudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January) inQuarter-final vsSouth Korea (25 January) | Semi-final vsUnited Arab Emirates (29 January) |
| Bassam Al-Rawi | inRound of 16 vsIraq (22 January) inQuarter-final vsSouth Korea (25 January) |
Almoez Ali (9 goals)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]
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 theflag of the UAE. The seven hexagons formed by colored ribbons represents theseven emirates of the host country. The interlacing hexagon pattern of the logo was inspired fromIslamic art, as well as the old Emirati tradition of using palm leaves, locally known assaf, 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.
The official match ball, theMolten Acentec, was made byMolten Corporation.[67][68]
Meow MansourDuring the final draw on 4 May 2018, two mascots, Mansour and Jarrah, were unveiled. Mansour is a young footballer, while Jarrah is afalcon with lightning speed [sic]. The falcon is an important symbol of the Arab world and also features on theemblem of the United Arab Emirates.[69]
Theme song wasZanaha Zayed byHussain Al Jassmi,Balqees Ahmed Fathi andEida Al Menhali.[70]
Also on the drawing day on 4 May 2018, a new trophy made byThomas Lyte was unveiled. It is 78 centimetres tall, 42 centimetres wide and weighs 15 kilograms of silver.[71] The trophy is modeled over thelotus 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.
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]
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]
Official Sponsors
Official Supporters
TAG Heuer was the official timekeeper of the tournament.[80]
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-basedBeIN 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 ina 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 byLagardère 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 |
Many ticket-holding fans were locked out of the Group B match between Palestine and Australia, with management closing a number ofRashid 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]
As a result ofQatar 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 theGroup E clash betweenNorth 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, thefinal 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-basedThe 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]
During thesemi-final match betweenQatar and hostsUnited Arab Emirates, some UAE supporters threw bottles andfootwear 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 theQatari national anthem. The two countries had had a hostile relationship and had cutdiplomatic ties due to theongoing 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]
On 30 January 2019, soon after the hosts lost to Qatar in the semi-finals, theUnited Arab Emirates Football Association lodged a formal appeal to the AFC over the eligibility of Sudanese-bornAlmoez Ali and Iraqi-bornBassam 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 thefinal on 1 February 2019, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced that it had dismissed the protest lodged by the UAEFA.[110][111]
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 ofwasting police time and makingfalse 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 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]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2019 AFC Asian Cup finalists | |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Semi-finals | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Round of 16 | |
| Group stage | |
