Football: Oman delegation to attend Asian Cup qualifiers draw in Abu Dhabi

Sports Sunday 22/January/2017 22:02 PM
By: Times News Service
Football: Oman delegation to attend Asian Cup qualifiers draw in Abu Dhabi

Muscat: Oman coach Pim Verbeek will be part of the Oman Football Association (OFA) delegation that will attend the draw ceremony of the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers to be organised in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
The Omani delegation will be headed by OFA’s second vice-chairman Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Shukaili, Director for Players Affairs Ahmed Hadid and team manager Maqbool Al Balushi.
According to the AFC, in the draw 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four, with matches played both home and away during the official FIFA days from March 28, 2017 to March 27, 2018.
The official logo of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 will also be launched during the ceremony.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa conveyed his best wishes to the participating teams as the continent prepares for another riveting competition in 2019 after the highly-successful 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
“There is no doubt that Australia 2015 was an outstanding success and I am confident that the UAE will look to build on the excitement and expectation surrounding the AFC Asian Cup to deliver a breathtaking competition, which will further strengthen our aspirations under the banner of One Asia, One Goal.
“I wish all 24 teams the very best of luck in the draw and I have no doubt that the road to UAE will produce some memorable moments and captivating football which sets the benchmark for Confederation competitions.”
Mohamed Khalfan Al Romaithi, Member of the AFC Executive Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Higher Committee AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, said: “It is an honour for the UAE to host the second oldest football competition in the world.
“The expanded 24-team format only furthers the spirit of Asian unity and sportsmanship. The logo unveil tomorrow will capture the essence of our commitment to this esteemed tournament and to the Asian Football Confederation.”
Following the AFC’s decision to expand the competition from 16 to 24 teams, the winners and runners-up from each group -- a total of 12 teams -- will qualify to the final competition of the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.
They will be joined by the other 12 teams - defending champions Australia, China, Iraq, Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan and hosts UAE - who have already qualified to the final competition through the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and Asian Cup UAE 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2.
The 24 teams (seeded based on the January 2017 FIFA rankings): 1. Jordan, 2. Oman, 3. Philippines, 4. Bahrain, 5. Kyrgyzstan, 6. North Korea, 7. India, 8. Palestine, 9. Tajikistan, 10. Vietnam, 11. Hong Kong, 12. Turkmenistan, 13. Maldives, 14. Lebanon, 15. Yemen, 16. Afghanistan, 17. Chinese Taipei, 18. Myanmar, 19. Malaysia, 20. Singapore, 21. Cambodia, 22. Nepal, 23. Bhutan and 24. Macau.