Asian Cup 2019: Which region will the gold cup go to?
(Baonghean.vn) - After 16 Asian Cups, East Asia and West Asia each have won 6 times, Central Asia 3 times and Southeast Asia has only won 1 time. Asian Cup 2018 is an uncompromising race between 3 regions holding 15 gold cups.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has divided its 47 member states into five regions, with West Asia and Southeast Asia having 12 members, East Asia having 10 members, Central Asia having 6 members and finally South Asia having 7 members.
East Asia and West Asia are leading the way
To date, there are 4 West Asian countries that have won the championship: Saudi Arabia (3), Kuwait (1), Iraq (1), Israel (1); meanwhile, East Asia has Japan (4), South Korea (4), and China (1).(2); Central Asia only Iran has had this honor 3 times. Australia has been a member of Southeast Asian football since 2006 and won the Asian Cup 2015 when it hosted the tournament. Only South Asian football has never won the championship and looking at India's current form, fans in this region will have to wait a little longer.
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| Japan is a candidate for the final ticket. Photo: Internet |
While South Korea and Iran are leading the number of times they have participated in the Asian Cup, they have both been present at the biggest football festival in the continent 14 times, Japan is leading the number of championships. From 2000 to now, there have been 6 Asian Cups, Japan has won 3 times, they have only given way to Iraq and Australia each once.
That shows the rise of Japanese football and the East Asian region. This time, although currently ranked 3rd in the FIFA rankings, the chance of the team from the land of the rising sun reaching the final is quite high.
What is quite impressive is that all 4 times they reached the final, the Japanese won. In the Asian Cup, besides the Japanese team, Iran and Iraq also did it, all 3 times they played in the final, Iran won the gold cup, Iraq only reached the final once and they were the Asian Cup champions in 2007. Meanwhile, South Korea only won 2/6 gold cups when they were present in the final, China failed both times they participated in the final (1983, 2004).
In East Asia, both Korea and China are “regular guests” in the semi-finals. Korea has even been in the semi-finals 10 out of 14 times, but the chance of reaching the final is still not high. China has also been in the semi-finals 6 out of 12 times participating in the Asian Cup, but in recent years, the team has slowed down.
Homeowners have little chance
First of all, according to statistics, only 7/12 hosts have won the Asian Cup. The UAE itself, the host of the 1996 Asian Cup, only finished as runner-up. With its current strength, ranked 8th in Asia, the chances for the host UAE are not high. Perhaps reaching the semi-finals is already a significant achievement for this team.
The hope of West Asian football at this Asian Cup is on Iraq, who is ranked 11th in the continent according to the FIFA rankings. In fact, the West Asian teams are quite even: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria... all showed their ability through the group stage and who will help this region to the throne is still unknown. They do not have a superior team, but that does not mean we can quickly write off the region that holds 6/16 continental gold cups.
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| Will Iran be the team representing Central Asia to compete for the championship? Photo: Internet |
In 2018, the Australian team qualified for the World Cup finals for the 5th time (including 4 consecutive times from 2006 to present), but in Russia they only had 1 draw (1-1) with Denmark, lost 2 (1-2) with France and (0-2) with Peru. The results of the friendly matches preparing for the Asian Cup were not as expected, winning 1, drawing 1 and losing 1.
The retirement of 38-year-old veteran Tim Cahill after the 2018 World Cup (after 107 appearances and 50 goals) left a gaping hole in the team. Both Mathew Leckie and Tomi Juric played 59 and 41 matches for the team, but their lethal ability cannot compare to their seniors who have just retired.
With the current capacity, the chance of the defending champion Australia to reach the semi-finals is quite high. However, the chance for the defending champion Australia to go deep is very difficult, so it is difficult for the Southeast Asian region to have a second trophy at this 17th Asian Cup.
Fans are thinking a lot about the final of Central Asia with Iran as the representative and East Asia, which could be Japan or South Korea. These are also 3 of the 4 names expected to be present in the semi-finals of the 17th Asian Cup.
