Football fever comes to Asia
(VOV) - Vietnam will have the chance to compete in the final round of the Asian Cup 2019 thanks to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) changes.
AFC has decided that after the Asian Cup 2015, 24 teams will compete at the final round instead of the current 16. This means 8 additional teams will have the opportunity to qualify for the biggest football festival in Asia.
As many as 20 teams will compete at the Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers, and the number will be increased to 32 in the following year.
Twelve group winners will vie for tickets to the World Cup. The remaining 20 teams will clash for the last 12 tickets to the Asian Cup finals.
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This is a big change, aimed at raising the Asian Cup’s profile and improving Asian teams’ performance
AFC also changed the number of teams taking part in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup and annul AFC President’s Cup.
These changes will take effect after the Asian Cup 2015
The new rules provide a good chance for Vietnam to enter the final round of the Asian Cup.
Vietnam competed at the Asian tournament for the first time in 2007 as the hosts of the event. However, contrary to expectations, Vietnam lost all five group matches.