UAE to host AFC Asian Cup 2019

The United Arab Emirates won the bid on an unanimous vote to host AFC Asian Cup 2019 on 9th March 2015. “The UAE won the right unanimously,” AFC chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa Quoted. 

Some key points to remember:

• The UAE bid proposed to organise the tournament in three cities —
  •  Abu Dhabi,
  •  Dubai 
  •  Al-Ain  ,all of which have stadiums that could host the games.
• A new stadium in Dubai with a capacity for 25,000 fans is also promised to be built for the tournament.
• The AFC (Asian Football Confederation ) Asian Cup 2019 will be the 17th edition of the games.
• it is the second time that UAE will hold the tournament since 1996.
• For the first time tournament will have the 24 teams as against the 16 team format that had been used since 2004.
• The announcement was made by the AFC Executive Committee in a meeting at Manama, Bahrain.