2019 AFC Asian Cup

The 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification process determined the 24 participating teams for the tournament. In 2014, a proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup with those of the AFC Asian Cup was ratified by the AFC Competitions Committee.[10] The new qualification structure took place in three stages, with the first two merging with the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification[10][11] In the first round, the lowest ranked teams played home-and-away over two legs to reduce the total number of teams to 40. In the second round, the 40 teams were divided into eight groups of five to play home-and-away round-robin matches, where the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals. In the third round, the next best 24 teams eliminated from second round were divided into six groups of four and competed for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[12] The first qualifying round of the qualification took place on 12 March 2015, and the final match of the third round took place on 27 March 2018.[13][14]

India, Syria, Thailand, and Turkmenistan qualified for the tournament after being absent in several Asian Cup tournaments spanning from 2004 to 2015. Lebanon and Vietnam both qualified for the first time after hosting the tournaments, in 2000 and 2007 respectively.[15] For Vietnam, this was the first time they qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified nation, having participated as South Vietnam in the first two editions (1956 and 1960), outside of hosting the 2007 edition. This was also the first time Yemen qualified for the AFC Asian Cup as a unified country, due to FIFA and AFC categorizing the participation of South Yemen in the 1976 as a distinct record not related to Yemen, who succeeded North Yemen. In addition to Yemen, Kyrgyzstan[16] and the Philippines[17] also marked this edition as their first times to qualify for an Asian Cup.

Iran qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time as a CAFA member, having qualified as part of the WAFF before. Afghanistan, along with its fellow CAFA member nation Tajikistan, were the only two countries from the Central Asian zone which failed to qualify for the tournament. Indonesia and Malaysia were the only co-hosts of the 2007 edition that did not qualify for the Asian Cup, as Indonesia was barred from entering the qualification due to tension inside the PSSI which led to FIFA suspension; while Malaysia had ended their campaign in disaster with just one point out of six matches. Kuwait was the only West Asian team not to qualify for the Asian Cup, as they were also barred from completing the qualification due to FIFA's sanction. India remained as the only South Asian team to qualify for the tournament. On 13 November 2018, the Asian Football Confederation warned the Iranian government to stop meddling in the country's football association, otherwise, it would have faced sanctions before the Asian Cup.[18]

The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament:

Team	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Previous best performance	December 2018 FIFA ranking
United Arab Emirates	Hosts	9 March 2015	10th	2015	Runners-up (1996)	79
Qatar	Second Round Group C winners	17 November 2015	10th	2015	Quarter-finals (2000, 2011)	93
South Korea	Second Round Group G winners	13 January 2016	14th	2015	Winners (1956, 1960)	53
Japan	Second Round Group E winners	24 March 2016	9th	2015	Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)	50
Thailand	Second Round Group F winners	24 March 2016	7th	2007	Third place (1972)	118
Saudi Arabia	Second Round Group A winners	24 March 2016	10th	2015	Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)	69
Australia	Second Round Group B winners	29 March 2016	4th	2015	Winners (2015)	41
Uzbekistan	Second Round Group H winners	29 March 2016	7th	2015	Fourth place (2011)	95
Iran	Second Round Group D winners	29 March 2016	14th	2015	Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)	29
Syria	Second Round Group E runners-up	29 March 2016	6th	2011	Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011)	74
Iraq	Second Round Group F runners-up	29 March 2016	9th	2015	Winners (2007)	88
China	Second Round Group C runners-up	29 March 2016	12th	2015	Runners-up (1984, 2004)	76
Palestine	Third Round Group D runners-up	10 October 2017	2nd	2015	Group stage (2015)	99
Oman	Third Round Group D winners	10 October 2017	4th	2015	Group stage (2004, 2007, 2015)	82
India	Third Round Group A winners	11 October 2017	4th	2011	Runners-up (1964)	97
Lebanon	Third Round Group B winners	10 November 2017	2nd	2000	Group stage (2000)	81
Turkmenistan	Third Round Group E runners-up	14 November 2017	2nd	2004	Group stage (2004)	127
Jordan	Third Round Group C winners	14 November 2017	4th	2015	Quarter-finals (2004, 2011)	109
Bahrain	Third Round Group E winners	14 November 2017	6th	2015	Fourth place (2004)	113
Vietnam	Third Round Group C runners-up	14 November 2017	4th	2007	Fourth place (19561, 19601)	100
Kyrgyzstan	Third Round Group A runners-up	22 March 2018	1st	Debut	None	91
North Korea	Third Round Group B runners-up	27 March 2018	5th	2015	Fourth place (1980)	109
Philippines	Third Round Group F winners	27 March 2018	1st	Debut	None	116
Yemen	Third Round Group F runners-up	27 March 2018	1st2	Debut	None	135

¹ As South Vietnam

² Yemen once qualified for the 1976 AFC Asian Cup as South Yemen, but according to FIFA and the AFC, the previous records of Yemen are registered as North Yemen instead.

Burj Khalifa, the location of the final draw

The draw of the final tournament was held on 4 May 2018, 19:30 GST, at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.[19][20] The FIFA rankings of April 2018 were used as basis for the seeding. The 12 teams that secured their place in the final tournament by the end of the second round of the qualification process were placed in Pots 1 and 2 while the remaining teams which qualified during the third round were allocated to the remaining pots. As hosts, the United Arab Emirates were seeded into Pot 1. The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, with the hosts placed in position A1.[21] Four renowned Asian players: Ali Daei, Sun Jihai, Sunil Chhetri, and Phil Younghusband were chosen to draw the teams.[22]

Teams were drawn consecutively into Group A to F. Teams from each pot were assigned to the positions of their groups following by number orders of group stage, for example Pot 1 team were assigned to A1, and continued.

The draw resulted in the following groups:

Group A Pos Team A1  United Arab Emirates A2  Thailand A3  India A4  Bahrain

Group B Pos Team B1  Australia B2  Syria B3  Palestine B4  Jordan

Group C Pos Team C1  South Korea C2  China C3  Kyrgyzstan C4  Philippines

Group D Pos Team D1  Iran D2  Iraq D3  Vietnam D4  Yemen

Group E Pos Team E1  Saudi Arabia E2  Qatar E3  Lebanon E4  North Korea

Group F Pos Team F1  Japan F2  Uzbekistan F3  Oman F4  Turkmenistan

Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.[23]

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[23]

1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
5. Goal difference in all group matches;
6. Goals scored in all group matches;
7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
9. Drawing of lots.

Thailand v India

Group A saw the opening match of the tournament which was a one-all draw between United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Ahmed Khalil getting the equaliser in the 88th minute after going one goal down only ten minutes prior.[34] UAE and Thailand qualified as the top two nations in the group after a 1–1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, and Bahrain qualified in third place after a 1–0 win over India.[35][36] India finished last in the group after they recorded their first win in the Asian Cup for 55 years over Thailand in their opening match, before losing their remaining two games.[37]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	United Arab Emirates (H)	3	1	2	0	4	2	+2	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Thailand	3	1	1	1	3	5	−2	4[lower-alpha 1]
3	Bahrain	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4[lower-alpha 1]
4	India	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3

5 January 2019 (2019-01-05)

20:00

United Arab Emirates	1–1	Bahrain
Khalil 88' (pen.)	Report	Al Romaihi 78'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 33,878

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

6 January 2019 (2019-01-06)

17:30

Thailand	1–4	India
Teerasil 33'	Report	Chhetri 27' (pen.), 46' Thapa 68' Lalpekhlua 80'

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 3,250

Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

10 January 2019 (2019-01-10)

15:00

Bahrain	0–1	Thailand
	Report	Chanathip 58'

Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 2,720

Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

10 January 2019 (2019-01-10)

20:00

India	0–2	United Arab Emirates
	Report	Khalf. Mubarak 41' Mabkhout 88'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 43,206

Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

14 January 2019 (2019-01-14)

20:00

United Arab Emirates	1–1	Thailand
Mabkhout 7'	Report	Thitipan 41'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 17,809

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

14 January 2019 (2019-01-14)

20:00

India	0–1	Bahrain
	Report	Rashid 90+1' (pen.)

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Attendance: 11,417

Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Syria v Palestine

Group B saw Jordan qualify on top of the group after defeating the defending champions in the opening match from an Anas Bani Yaseen header.[38] This was followed up by a 2–0 win over Syria which saw Syrian manager Bernd Stange sacked after the match and being replaced by Fajr Ibrahim.[39] Joining them in the round of 16 was Australia, who after losing to Jordan in their opening match, got two wins over Palestine[40] and Syria with that match only being won by a goal from Tom Rogic in injury time.[41]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Jordan	3	2	1	0	3	0	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Australia	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	6
3	Palestine	3	0	2	1	0	3	−3	2
4	Syria	3	0	1	2	2	5	−3	1

6 January 2019 (2019-01-06)

15:00

Australia	0–1	Jordan
	Report	Bani Yaseen 26'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 4,934

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

6 January 2019 (2019-01-06)

20:00

Syria	0–0	Palestine
	Report

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Attendance: 8,471

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

10 January 2019 (2019-01-10)

17:30

Jordan	2–0	Syria
Al-Taamari 26' Khattab 43'	Report

Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 9,152

Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)

11 January 2019 (2019-01-11)

15:00

Palestine	0–3	Australia
	Report	Maclaren 18' Mabil 20' Giannou 90'

Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 11,915

Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

15 January 2019 (2019-01-15)

17:30

Australia	3–2	Syria
Mabil 41' Ikonomidis 54' Rogic 90+3'	Report	Kharbin 43' Al Somah 80' (pen.)

Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 10,492

Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

15 January 2019 (2019-01-15)

17:30

Palestine	0–0	Jordan
	Report

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 20,843

Referee: Mohanad Qassim (Iraq)

Kyrgyzstan v Philippines

Group C saw South Korea and China qualify through as the top two seeds with the game between the two matches seeing South Korea on top of the group after a 2–0 win.[42] This meant that South Korea finished without conceding a goal after previously getting two 1–0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan.[43][44] In the battle for third place, it was between two newcomers to the competition, with Kyrgyzstan getting their first win in an Asian competition with a hat-trick from Vitalij Lux, securing a 3–1 win for the central Asian team despite a late consolation goal from Stephan Schröck, which was the first Philippine goal in the tournament.[45]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	South Korea	3	3	0	0	4	0	+4	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	China	3	2	0	1	5	3	+2	6
3	Kyrgyzstan	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
4	Philippines	3	0	0	3	1	7	−6	0

7 January 2019 (2019-01-07)

15:00

China	2–1	Kyrgyzstan
Matyash 50' (o.g.) Yu Dabao 78'	Report	Israilov 42'

Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 1,839

Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

7 January 2019 (2019-01-07)

17:30

South Korea	1–0	Philippines
Hwang Ui-jo 67'	Report

Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 3,185

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

11 January 2019 (2019-01-11)

17:30

Philippines	0–3	China
	Report	Wu Lei 40', 66' Yu Dabao 80'

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 16,013

Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

11 January 2019 (2019-01-11)

20:00

Kyrgyzstan	0–1	South Korea
	Report	Kim Min-jae 41'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 4,893

Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

16 January 2019 (2019-01-16)

17:30

South Korea	2–0	China
Hwang Ui-jo 14' (pen.) Kim Min-jae 51'	Report

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 13,579

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

16 January 2019 (2019-01-16)

17:30

Kyrgyzstan	3–1	Philippines
Lux 24', 51', 77'	Report	Schröck 80'

Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 4,217

Referee: Turki Al-Khudhayr (Saudi Arabia)

Iran v Iraq

Group D saw Iran and Iraq both qualify through to the round of 16 as the top two teams after both finished the group with seven points following their match finishing in a 0–0 draw at the Al Maktoum Stadium.[46] Iran finished top of the group on goal difference, largely in part to their 5–0 defeat of debutantes Yemen in their first game, which included a double from Mehdi Taremi.[47] A 2–0 win over Vietnam saw the team go through with three clean sheets from three.[48] Iraq had a tougher game in their opener against Vietnam, with only a late 90th-minute goal from Ali Adnan securing them three points.[49] This would later be followed with a 3–0 win over Yemen to qualify with Iran, with Vietnam qualifying in third place after a 2–0 victory over Yemen.[50]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iran	3	2	1	0	7	0	+7	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Iraq	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	7
3	Vietnam	3	1	0	2	4	5	−1	3
4	Yemen	3	0	0	3	0	10	−10	0

7 January 2019 (2019-01-07)

20:00

Iran	5–0	Yemen
Taremi 12', 25' Dejagah 23' Azmoun 53' Ghoddos 78'	Report

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 5,301

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

8 January 2019 (2019-01-08)

17:30

Iraq	3–2	Vietnam
M. Ali 35' Tariq 60' Adnan 90'	Report	Faez 24' (o.g.) Nguyễn Công Phượng 42'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 4,779

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)

15:00

Vietnam	0–2	Iran
	Report	Azmoun 38', 69'

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 10,841

Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)

17:30

Yemen	0–3	Iraq
	Report	M. Ali 11' Resan 19' Abbas 90+1'

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Attendance: 9,757

Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

16 January 2019 (2019-01-16)

20:00

Vietnam	2–0	Yemen
Nguyễn Quang Hải 38' Quế Ngọc Hải 64' (pen.)	Report

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 8,237

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

16 January 2019 (2019-01-16)

20:00

Iran	0–0	Iraq
	Report

Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 15,038

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Qatar v Lebanon

Group E witnessed Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualify for the round of 16. In the decisive match for first place, Qatar beat Saudi Arabia 2–0, thanks to a brace by Almoez Ali.[51] Qatar began their campaign with a comfortable, albeit controversial, 2–0 win over Lebanon,[52] before beating North Korea 6–0, sealing their place in the knockout stage.[53] Ali was decisive in both games, scoring a goal against Lebanon,[52] and four goals against North Korea.[53] Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia opened their account with a 4–0 win over North Korea,[54] before booking a place to the next round by beating Lebanon 2–0.[55] In their last fixture, Lebanon beat North Korea 4–1 with a Hilal El-Helwe brace; the win was Lebanon's first in the competition.[56] However, Lebanon missed out on the next round on fair play points.[56]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Qatar	3	3	0	0	10	0	+10	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Saudi Arabia	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	6
3	Lebanon	3	1	0	2	4	5	−1	3
4	North Korea	3	0	0	3	1	14	−13	0

8 January 2019 (2019-01-08)

20:00

Saudi Arabia	4–0	North Korea
Bahebri 28' Al-Fatil 37' Al-Dawsari 70' Al-Muwallad 87'	Report

Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 5,075

Referee: Peter Green (Australia)

9 January 2019 (2019-01-09)

20:00

Qatar	2–0	Lebanon
Al-Rawi 65' Ali 79'	Report

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 7,847

Referee: Ma Ning (China PR)

12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)

20:00

Lebanon	0–2	Saudi Arabia
	Report	Al-Muwallad 12' Al-Mogahwi 67'

Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 13,792

Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

13 January 2019 (2019-01-13)

15:00

North Korea	0–6	Qatar
	Report	Ali 9', 11', 55', 60' Khoukhi 43' A. Hassan 68'

Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 452

Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)

20:00

Saudi Arabia	0–2	Qatar
	Report	Ali 45+1', 80'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 16,067

Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)

17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)

20:00

Lebanon	4–1	North Korea
F. Michel Melki 27' El-Helwe 65', 90+8' Maatouk 80' (pen.)	Report	Pak Kwang-ryong 9'

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Attendance: 4,332

Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

Japan v Turkmenistan

Group F saw Japan and Uzbekistan progressing to the round of 16, with Japan defeating Uzbekistan 2–1 to finish in first place.[57] Japan began their campaign with a 3–2 victory over Turkmenistan,[58] before beating Oman 1–0 to qualify for the knockout stage.[59] Uzbekistan, on the other hand, beat Oman 2–1 thanks to an 85th-minute goal by Eldor Shomurodov,[60] before beating their neighbors Turkmenistan 4–0.[61] Oman qualified for the next round for the first time, after winning 3–1 over Turkmenistan, with Mohammed Al-Musalami scoring a goal in the injury time.[62]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Japan	3	3	0	0	6	3	+3	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Uzbekistan	3	2	0	1	7	3	+4	6
3	Oman	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
4	Turkmenistan	3	0	0	3	3	10	−7	0

9 January 2019 (2019-01-09)

15:00

Japan	3–2	Turkmenistan
Osako 56', 60' Doan 71'	Report	Amanow 26' Ataýew 79' (pen.)

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 5,725

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

9 January 2019 (2019-01-09)

17:30

Uzbekistan	2–1	Oman
Ahmedov 34' Shomurodov 85'	Report	Mu. Al-Ghassani 72'

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Attendance: 9,424

Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

13 January 2019 (2019-01-13)

17:30

Oman	0–1	Japan
	Report	Haraguchi 28' (pen.)

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 12,110

Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)

13 January 2019 (2019-01-13)

20:00

Turkmenistan	0–4	Uzbekistan
	Report	Sidikov 17' Shomurodov 24', 42' Masharipov 40'

Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 4,354

Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)

17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)

17:30

Oman	3–1	Turkmenistan
Al-Mahaijri 20' Mu. Al-Ghassani 84' Al-Musalami 90+3'	Report	Annadurdyýew 41'

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 8,338

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)

17:30

Japan	2–1	Uzbekistan
Muto 43' Shiotani 58'	Report	Shomurodov 40'

Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 7,005

Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

There were 130 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.55 goals per match.

9 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[23]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
• Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player(s)	Offence(s)	Suspension(s)
Zheng Zhi	in Qualification vs Qatar (qualification; 5 September 2017)	Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 7 January)
Mohammed Saleh	in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January)	Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)
Han Kwang-song	in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January)	Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Egor Krimets	in Group F vs Oman (matchday 1; 9 January)	Group F vs Turkmenistan (matchday 2; 13 January)
Pansa Hemviboon	in Group A vs India (matchday 1; 6 January) in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January)	Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)
Musa Al-Taamari	in Group B vs Australia (matchday 1; 6 January) in Group B vs Syria (matchday 2; 10 January)	Group B vs Palestine (matchday 3; 15 January)
Trent Sainsbury	in Group B vs Jordan (matchday 1; 6 January) in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January)	Group B vs Syria (matchday 3; 15 January)
Jonathan Cantillana	in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 6 January) in Group B vs Australia (matchday 2; 11 January)	Group B vs Jordan (matchday 3; 15 January)
Lee Yong	in Group C vs Philippines (matchday 1; 7 January) in Group C vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 2; 11 January)	Group C vs China PR (matchday 3; 16 January)
Đỗ Duy Mạnh	in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 1; 8 January) in Group D vs Iran (matchday 2; 12 January)	Group D vs Yemen (matchday 3; 16 January)
Salem Al-Dawsari	in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 1; 8 January) in Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 2; 12 January)	Group E vs Qatar (matchday 3; 17 January)
Ri Il-jin	in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 1; 8 January) in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)	Group E vs Lebanon (matchday 3; 17 January)
Jong Il-gwan	in Group E vs Qatar (matchday 2; 13 January)
Adisorn Promrak Suphan Thongsong	in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 2; 10 January) in Group A vs United Arab Emirates (matchday 3; 14 January)	Round of 16 vs China PR (20 January)
Zhang Linpeng	in Group C vs South Korea (matchday 3; 16 January) in Round of 16 vs Thailand (20 January)	Quarter-final vs Iran (24 January)
Vahid Amiri	in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 16 January) in Round of 16 vs Oman (20 January)	Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)
Yoshinori Muto	in Group F vs Uzbekistan (matchday 3; 17 January) in Round of 16 vs Saudi Arabia (21 January)	Quarter-final vs Vietnam (24 January)
Tom Rogic	in Group B vs Palestine (matchday 2; 11 January) in Round of 16 vs Uzbekistan (21 January)	Quarter-final vs United Arab Emirates (25 January)
Khamis Esmaeel	in Group A vs Bahrain (matchday 1; 5 January) in Round of 16 vs Kyrgyzstan (21 January)	Quarter-final vs Australia (25 January)
Abdelkarim Hassan	in Group E vs North Korea (matchday 2; 13 January) in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)	Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)
Assim Madibo	in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January) in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January)
Mehdi Taremi	in Group D vs Vietnam (matchday 2; 12 January) in Quarter-final vs China PR (24 January)	Semi-final vs Japan (28 January)
Abdulaziz Hatem	in Group E vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 17 January) in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)	Semi-final vs United Arab Emirates (29 January)
Bassam Al-Rawi	in Round of 16 vs Iraq (22 January) in Quarter-final vs South Korea (25 January)

Team of the tournament

According to the AFC organization committee, eight players from the winning Qatari team and five players from the runner-up Japanese team were selected in the team of the tournament. Six players from teams which progressed to the semi-finals (Iran and the United Arab Emirates) were also selected. In addition, four players from teams which progressed to the quarter-finals were selected. Nguyễn Quang Hải became the second player from Southeast Asia to be included on the team of the tournament after Soh Chin Ann in 1980.[65]

The official logo of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup was unveiled on 23 January 2017 in Abu Dhabi during the drawing ceremony for the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification.[66] The colors used in the logo were derived from the flag of the UAE. The seven hexagons formed by colored ribbons represents the seven emirates of the host country. The interlacing hexagon pattern of the logo was inspired from Islamic art, as well as the old Emirati tradition of using palm leaves, locally known as saf, in weaving. The outer circle along with the geometric design within it symbolizes the sport of football.[67]

The slogan, "Bringing Asia Together" (Arabic: جمع آسيا معاً), was unveiled on 5 January 2018, a year before the tournament's kick-off.

The official match ball, the Molten Acentec, was made by Molten Corporation.[68][69]

During the final draw on 4 May 2018, two mascots, Mansour and Jarrah, were unveiled. Mansour is a young footballer, while Jarrah is a falcon with lightning speed [sic]. The falcon is an important symbol of the Arab world and also features on the emblem of the United Arab Emirates.[70]

Theme song was Zanaha Zayed by Hussain Al Jassmi, Balqees Ahmed Fathi and Eida Al Menhali.[71]

Also on the drawing day on 4 May 2018, a new trophy made by Thomas Lyte was unveiled. It is 78 centimetres tall, 42 centimetres wide and weighs 15 kilograms of silver.[72] The trophy is modeled over the lotus flower, a symbolic flower of Asia. The five petals of the lotus symbolise the five sub-confederations under the AFC.[73] The winning teams' names are engraved around the trophy base, which is separable from the trophy's main body.

Total prize money pool for the tournament was US$14,800,000.[74] The champions would receive US$5 million, the runners-up will receive US$3 million, and the losing semi-finalists would receive US$1 million. All 24 participating teams would also receive US$200,000.[75]

The tournament organizers held a competition where fans got to choose and vote on slogans to be used on the team buses of the 24 participating national teams.[76]

Many ticket-holding fans were locked out of the Group B match between Palestine and Australia, with management closing a number of Rashid Stadium gates before the start of the match “in the interests of fan safety”. Rashid Stadium was one of the smallest stadiums in the tournament with only 12,000 seats and many non-ticket holding fans attempted to watch the match without buying tickets. The organizing committee issued a statement for the reasons of closure stating “Ahead of kick-off a large crowd of fans with and without tickets had gathered over a short period of time outside the stadium, which resulted in the need to secure the area." They then issued an apology to supporters who were “inconvenienced or left disappointed” and issued an investigative probe to insure it to be an isolated incident.[84]

As a result of Qatar diplomatic crisis between Qatar and number of its neighbours since 5 June 2017, including the United Arab Emirates as the host country, the UAE suspended all direct flights between the two countries and initially banned Qatari citizens from entering their country,[85] although the Emirati government later announced that it would permit Qatari citizens temporary entry into the country pending approval from Emirati authorities.[86] According to a report, Saoud al-Mohannadi, a Qatari national who is the AFC vice-president and chairman of the organizing committee for the Asian Cup, was unable to enter the UAE two days prior to the tournament's start because Emirati authorities had not yet cleared him.[87] The director of the 2019 AFC Organizing Committee denied reports that Al Mohannadi was refused entry and declared that Al Mohannadi has arrived on Friday morning and was preparing for his meetings. The director stated that there was no evidence that shows he was unable to enter and stated that this news has "political purposes". He stated "We try to keep sports away from politics."[88]

The diplomatic crisis prevented many fans from attending Qatar matches in the UAE. This had affected attendance figures in Qatar matches, as little more than 450 people spectated the Group E clash between North Korea and Qatar on 13 January.[89] The UAE government had confirmed previously that Qatari citizens may enter UAE with prior permission obtained directly through a hotline from UAE authorities.[86]

According to Qatar's Sports Press Committee, five Qatar-based media representatives were denied entry into the UAE despite having entry visas and receiving assurances that they would be allowed to attend and report on the tournament by the AFC.[90] The AFC Media Committee dismissed the Qatari reports and stated that some of the Qatar-based journalists confused visit visas with work visas and advised all journalists to contact them if they encounter any issues with the entry visa type.[91]

According to Al Jazeera, the final match, which was won by Qatar, was played "almost entirely without" Qatari support from the stands, due to the travel ban.[92] However, according to Qatar-based The Peninsula large number of Omani fans supported the Qatari team in the stadium, stating "The large number of fans who supported the Qatari team were wearing the logo of Al Annabi [The Maroons] with the background of the names of various players. Apart from their attendance, they carried flags in the stadium and continued to cheer for Al Annabi [The Maroons] players and sing songs throughout the game."[93]

During the semi-final match between Qatar and hosts United Arab Emirates, some UAE supporters threw bottles and footwear into the match after Qatari players scored their second goal; the latter is considered to be highly offensive in the Middle East. One of the Qatari players, Salem Al Hajri, was struck on the head with a shoe after Qatar scored its third goal. This conduct was preceded by booing the Qatari national anthem. The two countries had had a hostile relationship and had cut diplomatic ties due to the ongoing diplomatic crisis.[94] Qatar won 4–0 despite the events, reaching their first Asian Cup final.[95][96][97] Afterwards, the AFC declared that it would conduct an investigation into the proceedings.[96][98]

On 30 January 2019, soon after the hosts lost to Qatar in the semi-finals, the United Arab Emirates Football Association lodged a formal appeal to the AFC over the eligibility of Sudanese-born Almoez Ali and Iraqi-born Bassam Al-Rawi, claiming that they did not qualify to play for Qatar on residency grounds per Article 7 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA statutes, which states a player is eligible to play for a representative team if he has "lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association".[99] It was alleged that Ali and Al-Rawi had not lived continuously in Qatar for at least five years over the age of 18, although the players claimed that their mothers were born in Qatar.[100]