AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup

Every four years

Since 1956, the Asian Football Confederation has held the AFC Asian Cup tournament every four years to determine the best soccer team in Asia. The winner of the contest goes on to compete for the FIFA Confederations' World Cup, the soccer world's highest honor. To avoid conflict over audience with the Olympic Games, which are also held every four years, the Asian Football Confederation held their most recent competition in 2007 and will hold future tournaments every four years from that date forward.
In 2007, 25 national teams vied for the AFC Asian Cup, with that number whittled down to 16 in the preliminary rounds. Over the years, several national teams have dominated the competition. Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have won the AFC Asian Cup three times. South Korea has won twice. Iran's team boasts the best overall numbers for tournament play.
The 2007 winner was Iraq, which defeated Saudi Arabia by a score of 1-0. It was the first time that Iraq had won the coveted sports prize. Many Iraqis saw the soccer win in larger terms, pointing out that the team was composed of Kurd, Sunni, and Shiite players who were able to work together to win a victory. They hoped it foreshadowed a spirit of cooperation in national politics as well.

CONTACTS:
Asian Football Confederation
AFC House, Jalan 1/155B, Bukit Jalil
Kuala Lumpur 57000 Malaysia
www.the-afc.com/eng/index.jsp.html