AFC Asian Cup

The AFC Asian Cup is a football championship contested by national teams affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the top tournament in Asia and is held every four years. The winning team is recognized as the champion of Asia.

The tournament consists of two stages: a qualifying round in which teams from AFC member nations compete, and a final tournament held in a host country. The final tournament begins with group play, followed by knockout stages leading to the final.

History

The tournament began in 1956, the same year the AFC itself was founded in 1954. Initially, the number of national teams in the final tournament was small, but it increased over time as AFC membership expanded. In recent decades, the final tournament has grown to include 24 teams.

Tournament format

Teams are divided into groups, and each group plays a round-robin stage. The top team from each group, plus some of the best third-place teams, advance to the round of 16. After that come the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. If knockout-stage matches end in a draw, extra time is played and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Connection to international tournaments

The AFC Asian Cup winner was, in earlier years, entitled to compete in the FIFA Confederations Cup, though that tournament has since been discontinued. Additionally, AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches have sometimes been incorporated into FIFA World Cup qualifying, reducing the number of matches needed.

Successful national teams

Repeatedly successful teams include Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Qatar. East Asian and West Asian teams have dominated the later stages of the competition. Somalia is an AFC member and participates in qualifying rounds.