New Delhi, July 30 (IBNS): Tickets have begun selling from 1:30pm (IST) to football fans across India for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, the biggest sporting event ever hosted in the Middle East.

The expanded competition, which is set to welcome an unprecedented 24 teams – eight more than the previous 2015 edition – will take place across eight world-class stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah, and promises to engage more fans than ever before in the biggest sporting event ever hosted in the region.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “The AFC ‘s Vision and Mission outlined our ambitions to provide world-class platforms for our teams, players and passionate fans.

“The launch of ticket sales is an important milestone and the UAE is the perfect host nation to unite the Asian football family. I am confident that the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 will provide the ultimate stage to showcase Asia’s remarkable talent and engage and excite more fans than ever before.

“In the LOC, we have a trusted partner who share our ambitions of Bringing Asia Together and to deliver the most competitive and accessible AFC Asian Cup to date.”

Ticket prices for the competition have been set to allow as many people as possible—from the millions of Asians already residing in the UAE to the 2 billion living within a four-hour flight—to come and experience the thrill of top-class, live international football. 

Speaking on the launch of tickets for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Vice Chairman of the Higher Local Organising Committee, Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi said:“The UAE is honoured to be hosting the most-expansive, most-inclusive AFC Asian Cup in history. More teams promise more goals, more action and more drama, and we are confident that our long pedigree of hosting world-class sporting events has prepared us to offer an unsurpassed fan experience for football fans and first-timers alike."

“Moreover, the Local Organising Committee promises to deliver not just the biggest tournament in the region’s history, but the best. And this will begin with the Asian communities already living in the UAE that are prepared to rally and support their national teams at this exciting, once-in-a-lifetime event. There is no better place to embody the tournament motto of “Bringing Asia Together” than right here in the UAE.”

As part of the exciting build-up to ticket sales, a special launch event saw His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, Tournament Director of the Local Organising Committee and children from across the UAE enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the iconic Zayed Sports City Stadium, where the opener and final of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 will be staged.

The event demonstrated the unprecedented scale of the tournament as children held each other’s arm representing the cause of this edition, against a backdrop of a giant ticket, symbolising the sheer scale of the tournament that is coming to the Emirates.

Speaking on the launch of tickets for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, HE Aref Hamad Al Awani, Tournament Director commented: "The UAE through high mission which represents peace, tolerance, happiness, and openness, welcomes all teams and all nationals of the Asian continent to attend and watch this big continental event, which brings 24 teams together for the first time. This great participation is a big focus for the Higher Local Committee as it reflects the potential of the UAE and its great capabilities in organizing the biggest and most important global and continental sporting events.”