Vietnam plays UAE at 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifier

Vietnamese team training in Nha Trang

PANO – The Vietnamese men’s football team is listed in Group E at the 2015 Asian Cup qualifier, after a draw held by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Melbourne City, Australia.

Vietnam meets the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong (China) and Uzbekistan teams. The UAE and Uzbekistan are two strong rivals of Vietnam.

In three recent Asian Cup tournaments, Uzbekistan advanced to the quarterfinals twice and ranked fourth once, while the UAE has only once missed a ticket for the final round since 1980.

At the qualifier, participants will compete in a round robin format to select the three best teams from each group for the final round.

The 2015 AFC Asian Cup takes place between January 4^th and 26^th, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia with the participation of 16 finalists. 5 wild-card teams are the host Australia, Japan – 2011 Asian Cup defending champion, the Republic of Korea – 2011 Asian Cup bronze, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea – 2012 AFC Challenge Cup defending champion, and the champion of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.

2015 Asian Cup’s qualifier groups

Group A: Jordan, Syria, Oman and Singapore

Group B: Iran, Kuwait, Thailand and Lebanon

Group C: Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia

Group D: Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen and Malaysia

Group E: Uzbekistan, UAE, Vietnam and Hong Kong (China)