UAE picked to host the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

The UAE will host the 2019 Asian Cup after unanimously winning the right to stage the continent’s leading football tournament.

The announcement was made on Monday following a meeting of the Asian Football Confederation’s executive committee in Bahrain.

Iran had also bid to host the prestigious tournament, but AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa revealed that the UAE would host the competition for just the second time.

“I would like to congratulate the UAE Football Association on their successful bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2019,” he said. “The AFC Executive Committee was convinced by the merits of the UAE bid.

“I firmly believe that the UAE Football Association will host a tournament that could match and potentially even surpass the stunning AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia that we have all just witnessed.”

The UAE last hosted the Asian Cup in 1996 when Saudi Arabia defeated the hosts in the final, courtesy of a penalty shoot-out.

Earlier this year they finished third in Australia, but there is likely to be even stronger competition in 2019 as the tournament is expected to expand from 16 nations to 24