The United Arab Emirates will host the 2019 Asian Cup after defeating the rival bid from Iran, the Asian Football Confederation has confirmed.
AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is confident that the 2019 showpiece will prove just as successful as this year’s tournament, which was hosted and won by Australia.
“I would like to congratulate the UAE Football Association on their successful bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2019,” Shaikh Salman 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 2019 instalment will see an expanded tournament with 24 teams competing instead of 16.
UAE will host the Asian Cup for the second time, with the competition having taken place there in 1996.
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