AFC Asian Cup

asian association football tournament for men ‘s national teams
Football tournament
The AFC Asian Cup is the chief affiliation football contest contested by the aged men ‘s national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation ( AFC ), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest continental football championship in the worldly concern after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and until 2015 qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup. [ 1 ] The asian Cup was held once every four years from the 1956 edition in Hong Kong until the 2004 tournament in China. however, since the Summer Olympic Games and the European Football Championship were besides scheduled in the same year as the asian Cup, the AFC decided to move their backing to a less herd cycle. After 2004, the tournament was following hold in 2007 when it was co-hosted by four nations : Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Thereafter, it has been held every four years.

Reading: AFC Asian Cup

The asian Cup has broadly been dominated by a small number of exceed teams. initially successful teams included South Korea ( twice ) and Iran ( three times ). Since 1984, Japan ( four times ) and Saudi Arabia ( three times ) have been the most successful teams, in concert winning seven of the concluding ten finals. The other teams which have achieved success are Qatar ( 2019 stream champions ), Australia ( 2015 ), Iraq ( 2007 ) and Kuwait ( 1980 ). Israel won in 1964 but was belated expelled and has since joined UEFA. Australia joined the asian confederation in 2007 and hosted the asian Cup finals in 2015. The 2019 tournament had been expanded from 16 teams to 24 teams, with the qualifying work doubling as region of the qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

history [edit ]

Beginning [edit ]

A pan-Asian rival was first base proposed after the end of World War II, but it was not implemented until 1950s. Two years after the asian Football Confederation ( AFC ) came into being in 1954, the first always AFC Asian Cup was staged in Hong Kong with seven of the twelve founding members taking share, making the tournament the second old in the world. The qualifying procedure involved the hosts plus the winners of the respective zones ( Central, Eastern and Western ). It was only a four-team tournament, a format that besides existed for 1960 and 1964. Each sub-confederation already hosts their own biennial championship, each with varying degrees of interest. [ 4 ] South Korea demonstrated its superiority in the early years of the competition as the area conquered the 1956 and 1960 ; this remains as South Korea ‘s best achievements in the tournament. [ 5 ]

West asian domination ( 1964–1988 ) [edit ]

After Hong Kong and South Korea hosting the two beginning editions, Israel was chosen as hosts of the 1964 AFC asian Cup. Using the lapp format of the two former editions, this tournament only had four teams and played in one single group to determine the champions. Israel finally topped the tournament ahead of India with three wins. [ 6 ] The format was updated to five teams in 1968 before it was expanded to six teams in 1972 and 1976. The tournament became the conserve of Iran who won three consecutive tournaments in 1968, 1972 and 1976, with Iran hosting the former and the latter. Iran stays as the only national team in Asia to have won three consecutive asian Cups. The 1972 final was noteworthy as it was the first asian Cup to use the group stage-knockout phase format, which was followed in the subsequent tournaments with some alternation. [ 7 ] however, the tournament was marked with a blue note when Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1972 due to Arab–Israeli conflict. [ 8 ] From 1980 to 1988, the phone number of teams taking separate expanded to ten, but West asian countries continued their domination in the 1980s with Kuwait becoming the first arab nation to win the championship in 1980 carry at home land, beating South Korea 3–0 in the final. [ 9 ] Saudi Arabia, after an initial poor start, began to emerge as the state qualified, then won two consecutive asian trophies in 1984 and 1988, overcame both China and South Korea. Both tournaments were Saudi Arabia ‘s debuts in any major competitions. [ 10 ]

Japan ‘s rise and professionalization of asian Cup ( 1992–2011 ) [edit ]

up until 1990s, the AFC Asian Cup was by and large played in a more amateur level, despite its attack to raise the standard. however, with Asia being granted more spots for the FIFA World Cup, attempts to professionalize the tournament besides began. By the end of 1990s, the tournament has begun to be professionalized. Japan until 1990s was by and large a small name in Asian football, and the country only qualified for the 1988 edition, the first time Japan took part in a continental football tournament. however, as Japan started to make a concrete go inroad to professional football, the country ‘s fortunes increased. Japan hosted the 1992 AFC asian Cup, which was reduced to eight teams and two groups, where it emerged victorious after beating Saudi Arabia, then-defending champions, 1–0, to win the country ‘s first major external honor. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] The 1996 AFC asian Cup saw the tournament expanded to twelve teams in its march of professionalization. Held by the United Arab Emirates, the hosts breached into the final examination for the beginning time ever but was ineffective to win the trophy after losing to Saudi Arabia, who made it into the country ‘s fourth consecutive asian finals, on penalties. It was Saudi Arabia ‘s third asian title. [ 11 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] The 2000 AFC asian Cup saw Lebanon took separate in its first asian tournament, and it was Saudi Arabia who again reached the final examination, but this time, Japan triumphed over Saudi Arabia 1–0 in a concluding filled with a majority of Saudi supporters. [ 15 ] Japan would go on to retain their asian trophy four years former, albeit in a more fight style and a very heated, politically charged final toward hosts China. [ 16 ] The 2004 edition was noteworthy as it expanded to 16 teams and Saudi Arabia ‘s absent from an asian Cup final for the first clock time. The 2007 AFC Asian Cup gained noteworthy for the debut of Australia, which had abandoned the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006 ( coincidentally the first team to qualify for the tournament ), angstrom well as being the first base football rival in the world to be hosted by more than two nations, with four countries in Southeast Asia ( Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia ) host. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] In this tournament, Iraq crowned as asian champions despite the ravaging Iraq War and sectarian tensions, overpowering the likes of Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia in process. [ 19 ] Australia ( which joined the AFC in 2006 ), after its poor debut in 2007, rebounded to reach the final in 2011 AFC asian Cup in Qatar, but lost to Japan after extra-time ; the succeed for Japan meant it became the most deck team in asian football with four titles. [ 20 ] however, the tournament was celebrated as the inaugural asian Cup to use the jersey numbers ‘ order from 1 to 23, previously not practised in prior competitions .

expansion of the asian Cup ( 2015–now ) [edit ]

Following Australia ‘s successes in the 2011 asian Cup, the AFC approved the country to host the 2015 AFC asian Cup. At the tournament, Australia managed to clamp down every adversary with only one loss, against eventual finalist South Korea, whom Australia would get a 2–1 concluding retaliation after extra-time ; the win formally sealed Southeast Asia ‘s beginning asian claim as Australia joined the AFF in 2013. [ 21 ] At the 2019 AFC asian Cup, the video assistant referees were used in the tournament for the first gear time, [ 22 ] ampere well as an expansion to 24 teams. [ 23 ] In addition, a fourth substitution was allowed during extra time. [ 24 ] The tournament, hosted by the United Arab Emirates for the second time, witnessed the ascend of Qatar, who conquered its first ever asian title after beating Japan in the concluding 3–1. [ 25 ] The tournament was marred by the Qatar diplomatic crisis, due to the UAE ‘s entry banish on Qatari supporters, vitamin a good as shoe-throwing in the two ‘s semi-final collide. [ 26 ]

format [edit ]

Final tournament [edit ]

Since 1972, the final tournament is played in two stages : the group stage and the knockout stage. Since 2019, each team plays three games in a group of four, with the winners and runner-up from each group advancing to the knockout stage along with the four best third-placed teams. In the knockout phase the sixteen teams compete in a single-elimination tournament, beginning with the round of 16 and ending with the final examination couple of the tournament .

trophy [edit ]

The master trophy … … and the redesign one . stream trophy design There have been two asian Cup trophies ; the foremost one used between 1956 and 2015, and the second one in use since 2019.

Results [edit ]

drumhead [edit ]

* hosts

1 named Burma until 1989

2 named Taiwan until 1980

3 inculuding results representing South Vietnam

4 named Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975

Records and statistics [edit ]

Controversies [edit ]

Despite being the second oldest continental football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup has suffered numerous criticisms. [ 33 ] [ 34 ] [ 35 ] Criticisms over the inability of the AFC asian Cup to attract large attendances, political interference, high costs of traveling between AFC member states and different cultures were highlighted over the asian Cup .

political interference [edit ]

The AFC Asian Cup is marked with numerous instances of political intervention. One of these was the case of Israel, as the team used to be a member of the AFC but following Yom Kippur War and increasing tensions against the arab AFC members, Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1974 and had to compete in OFC until being granted UEFA membership in 1990. [ 36 ] interim, like cases besides exist in early AFC tournaments like the one between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the 2016 approach on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, Saudi Arabia had rejected playing with Iran and tied threatened to withdraw if the AFC refused to follow, and even extended it to external level. [ 37 ] Tensions between the two Koreas during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification had led North Korea to withdraw from hosting the south korean team and refusing to display the south korean flag and play their national anthem. As a solution, North Korea ‘s home matches were moved to Shanghai. [ 38 ]

humble attendances [edit ]

low crowds have besides been another problems for the AFC asian Cup. At the 2011 AFC asian Cup, there had been concerns over low record of crowds due to little football interests and high costs of traveling between asian nations leading to then-Australia coach Holger Osieck claiming that the Qatar Armed Forces were used to fill up the stadiums just for aesthetics, while Australia international Brett Holman commented, “ Worldwide it ‘s not recognised as a dependable tournament ”. [ 35 ]