The biggest competition in Asian football the AFC Asian Cup 2019 is just days away ready to showcase the brightest talents of the game in the continent. The 24 nation tournament is the 17th edition of the continental cup and over the years has grown in stature. With several Asian footballers now playing in some of the top leagues in the world, there is a wide plethora of talent on show. The stars will descend on the United Arab Emirates and the teams have been drawn in six groups of four nations each. It is the first time in the history of the competition that so many teams are part of the finals. Fourth Substitution to Be Allowed During AFC Asian Cup 2019.

Defending champions Australia open their account with a game against Jordan on the 6th of January. Their next two are games against Palestine on 11th January and Syria on 15th January. Syria of all the team have the potential to cause trouble to the Aussies and they will need to be wary of this threat. India are also part of 2019 AFC Asian Cup and are placed with Thailand, UAE, and Bahrain. AFC Asian Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup and Other Top Sporting Events to Look Forward to in 2019

India's opening game against Thailand on 6th January is one they will fancy themselves to get all three points from. The next game against UAE on 10th January is tough while Bahrain is another fancied opposition that they play on 14th January. Japan are one of the favourites for the cup considering the majority of their stars play in Europe. They will believe they can win their games against Turkmenistan on January 9th, Oman on January 13th and Uzbekistan on January 17th with ease.

2019 AFC Asian Cup Full Schedule

Match Group Venue Date Time (in IST)
UAE vs Bahrain A Abu Dhabi Jan 5 9:30 pm
Australia vs Jordan B Abu Dhabi Jan 6 4:30 pm
India vs Thailand A Abu Dhabi Jan 6 7 pm
Syria vs Palestine B Sharjah Jan 6 9:30 pm
China vs Kyrgyzstan C Al Ain Jan 7 4:30 pm
South Korea vs Philippines C Dubai Jan 7 7 pm
Iraq vs Vietnam D Abu Dhabi Jan 8 7 pm
Saudi Arabia vs North Korea E Dubai Jan 8 9:30 pm
Japan vs Turkmenistan F Abu Dhabi Jan 9 4:30 pm
Uzbekistan vs Oman F Sharjah Jan 9 7 pm
Qatar vs Lebanon E Abu Dhabi Jan 9 9:30 pm
Bahrain vs Thailand A Dubai Jan 10 4:30 pm
Jordan vs Syria B Al Ain Jan 10 7 pm
India vs UAE A Abu Dhabi Jan 10 9:30 pm
Palestine vs Australia B Dubai Jan 11 4:30 pm
Philippines vs China C Abu Dhabi Jan 11 7 pm
Kyrgyzstan vs South Korea C Abu Dhabi Jan 11 9:30 pm
Vietnam vs Iran D Abu Dhabi Jan 12 4:30 pm
Yemen vs Iraq D Sharjah Jan 12 `7 pm
Lebanon vs Saudi Arabia E Dubai Jan 12 9:30 pm
North Korea vs Qatar E Al Ain Jan 13 4:30 pm
Oman vs Japan F Abu Dhabi Jan 13 7 pm
Turkmenistan vs Uzbekistan F Dubai Jan 13 9:30 pm
UAE vs Thailand A Abu Dhabi Jan 14 9:30 pm
India vs Bahrain A Sharjah Jan 14 9:30 pm
Palestine vs Jordan B Al Ain Jan 15 7 pm
Australia vs Syria B Abu Dhabi Jan 15 7 pm
South Korea vs China C Abu Dhabi Jan 16 7 pm
Kyrgyzstan vs Philippines C Dubai Jan 16 7 pm
Vietnam vs Yemen D Abu Dhabi Jan 16 9:30 pm
Iran vs Iraq D Dubai Jan 16 9:30 pm
Oman vs Tukmenistan F Abu Dhabi Jan 17 7 pm
Japan vs Uzbekistan F Al Ain Jan 17 7 pm
Lebanon vs North Korea E Abu Dhabi Jan 17 9:30 pm
Saudi Arabia vs Qatar E Sharjah Jan 17 9:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 20 4:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 20 7:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 20 10:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 21 4:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 21 7:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 21 10:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 22 6:30 pm
Round of 16 Jan 22 9:30 pm
Quarterfinal Jan 24 6:30 pm
Quarterfinal Jan 24 9:30 pm
Quarterfinal Jan 25 6:30 pm
Quarterfinal Jan 25 9:30 pm
Semifinal 1 Jan 28 7:30 pm
Semifinal 2 Jan 29 7:30 pm
Final Feb 1 7:30 pm

Son Heung-Min has been a revelation so far at Tottenham Hotspurs with his goal scoring crucial to their good run in the league. He will be part of a South Korea squad who defeated Germany in the 2019 World Cup. The team was also a runner-up at the last edition of the Asian Cup and will look to go one better this time around. The Philippines on 7th January, Kyrgyzstan on 11th January and China on 16th January awaits them in the group stage. The Saudi Arabia team known more popularly as The Green Falcons had a very disappointing World Cup 2018 in Russia. They will like to bounce back in style with a convincing display in the group stage. They play North Korea on 8th January, Lebanon on 12th January and Qatar on 17th January.

China are coached by the 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcelo Lippi who will call it a day in management after his campaign in UAE end s with China. The Chinese play Kyrgyzstan on the 7th January, the Philippines on 11th January and the might South Korea on 16th January. Their league was in news for the astronomical money being pumped in the domestic league but it will be interesting to see the quality they possess. Iraq were champions back in 2007 but the team has failed to hit the heights since then. They face Vietnam, Yemen, and Iran on 8th, 12th and 16th January respectively.

We have some great game of football coming up in the Asian Cup and hence we have come up with the entire schedule of this mega event. The fans can tune into the games of their favourite team and dwell in the entertainment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2019 06:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).