São Paulo – The Asian Football Cup starts this Saturday (5) in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. In the first match, the home team (seen training in the photo) is going to face Bahrain’s team. For the first time, the championship will include 24 teams, eight more than before, according to information from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
The tournament continues Sunday with three matches, Australia vs. Jordan, Thailand vs. India and Syria vs. Palestine. Click here to see the complete calendar for the group phase. The championship lasts until February 1st. Overall, there is going to be 51 matches at eight stadiums in four cities of the UAE: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah.
According to FIFA, the Asian Cup has being played since 1956, being the second oldest regional tournament of national teams, second only to the American Cup. Japan is the biggest winner of the competition, having four titles, and Australia is the defending champion.
Besides UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, other Arab countries that will participate in the championship include Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Oman, and the first-timer Yemen.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
