While the World Cup is undoubtedly the premier international football event, for the 4.4 billion people living in Asia, the Asian Cup is rapidly becoming a tournament that inspires and excites.
Yes, the African Cup of Nations has colour and unpredictability, the Copa America has more than 100 years of history, and the European Championship consistently delivers very even contests -- but perhaps nothing quite captures the amazing diversity of people and football like the Asian Cup.
From the reclusive nation state of North Korea to the fractured but hopeful Palestine, from the steppes of the former Soviet Union to the vast desert plains of Australia, the Asian Cup is home to myriad historically and geo-politically diverse lands, nations and peoples.
In its own history, the Asian Cup is a symbol of the growth and development of the game in a region once considered a backwater. From an insignificant four team tournament in 1956, the Asian Cup has grown to a 16-team extravaganza with a two-year qualifying process involving 44 nations.
Whereas regions such as South America or Europe have a seemingly fixed hierarchy with the same top nations regularly duking it out for continental supremacy, football in Asia is constantly evolving.
Traditional powerhouses Iran and South Korea might have won five of the first six Asian Cups between them, but both have now failed to lift the trophy in almost four decades. Saudi Arabia and Japan might have won seven of the past eight tournaments, but can they deliver on the home soil of AFC new boys and aspirants to the crown Australia?
Backed by colossal resource wealth, tiny nations of the Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have also recently made their presence felt in world football by buying clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, surprising all in the bid for the 2022 World Cup and establishing academies and collaborations with some of the most experienced and distinguished club sides on the globe.
On top of that, there's the rise of football in China or India -- with coaches such as Zico or Marcelo Lippi and players such as Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, or Robert Pires sharing their vast experience and knowledge of the game with one-third the world's population. With China only an outside chance at this tournament and India knocked out in preliminary qualifying at the hands of Myanmar, there's still a long road ahead for these two. But it adds yet another fascinating twist in the tussle for continental supremacy in decades to come.
For this tournament, though, there are two fascinating subplots: East versus West and salvaging pride.
After arguably Asia's worst World Cup showing, with its four representatives all finishing bottom of their groups and winless, the Asian Cup represents a massive opportunity for regional powerhouses Japan, Australia, South Korea and Iran to save face.
With a new coach and a mandate to rebuild its squad and reconceive its footballing philosophy, Australia is a prime example of this. With just one win in 11 games under Ange Postecoglou, the disappointment of the World Cup (albeit with occasional glimpses of promise) has largely been stomached by fans hedged against expectations of Asian Cup success on home soil.
Outplayed for vast periods of time against three sides ranked in the top 15 in the world, the Socceroos will need to demonstrate a tactical and technical superiority against seemingly weaker footballing nations such as Oman and Kuwait if they're to satisfy their supporters and raise their first Asian Cup.
And yet, as the region develops, there become fewer and fewer "easybeats" across the confederation. Challenging the four favourites and World Cup flag-flyers are dark horses Uzbekistan, Qatar or China -- but recent history alone shows unfancied sides can cause massive upsets. Kuwait went on to win in 1980, Bahrain shocked all by making the semis in 2004, and of course -- who could forget Iraq's phenomenal performances in winning the 2007 Cup.
Like Greece at the Euros and Zambia at the African Cup of Nations, this was one of world football's truly great fairytale stories.
Add to this the subplot of East versus West. With Japan and South Korea often seen as the flagbearers for Asia and having a relative stranglehold on recent Asian Club Championships, many of the Gulf states are keen to hit back.
With nine of the 16 competing teams hailing from the West Asian Football Federation, don't be surprised if an Oman, Jordan or Bahrain ruffled some feathers in the group stage. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- the winners of the past two Gulf Cup of Nations -- are carrying tremendous expectations placed upon by their affluent and football-obsessed ruling families. Look for them to try to prove themselves as minnows no longer, but genuine players on the world stage.
With all these factors bubbling together, there's set to be some fascinating twists and turns as the various subplots play out.
AFC Asian Cup: Quick Facts
- This will be the 16th Asian Cup. Only seven nations have won it, and between them Japan (4), Iran (3), Saudi Arabia (3) and South Korea (2) have won 12 out of 15 tournaments.
- No nation has competed at all Asian Cups -- Iran and South Korea have appeared in 12, China in 10 and Kuwait in nine.
- It's the first time the tournament has been hosted outside the geographic boundaries of Asia, with all participants (except Australia) traveling between 8,000 and 14,000 kms to participate.
- The host nation has won six of 15 tournaments. But the host hasn't won since 1992 in Japan.
- The largest foreign-born local supporter groups are China (318,000), South Korea (74,000) and Iraq (48,000) -- the lowest are Oman (1,096), Qatar (607) and North Korea (69).