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millossobek
The 3-Stars Cup
For my second Cup Story, I've decided to go International!! Throughout Football History, two continents have dominated international play: Europe and South America. UEFA and the CONMEBOL. Winning every single World Cup, countries from these two continents have been at the forefront of the sport, capturing the imagination of the entire world and producing almost all legendary players and the most remembered teams.. In addition, the Eurocup and the Copa América have always been the continental National Team tournaments which have had the most exposure and fame. For example, many Europeans have said that the Eurocup is like the World Cup without Brazil and Argentina.. It can easily be said that countries from these regions have always had the most important competitions.
But here's an interesting point. Football is a Global Sport, encompassing teams far beyond the reaches of these two continents. It is a fact that the globe's two most populous continents are ASIA and AFRICA, both continents encompassing 5.8 Billion people (out of 7.8 Billion worldwide)! This is an absolutely massive amount of humanity. Football, as the world's sport, is hugely popular in both continents.. There's no question that it is the most played and watched sport in almost all African countries, and it is really growing in Asia, thanks in no small part to emerging stars in the international stage and their ever-improving performance in the World Cup, many of which have shocked the footballing world!
In terms of regional National Team tournaments, both the AFC Cup and the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) have captured the imagination of millions of fans in their respective continents.. Many regional rivalries have emerged throughout the years (Morocco vs Tunisia, Ghana vs Nigeria, Korea vs Japan, Thailand vs Vietnam, Iran vs Saudi Arabia only being a few!), as the fans from these regions of the world have turned out in droves to support their national teams! It is quite imporant to note, also, that the first two World Cups in Asia and Africa, 2002 and 2010, helped increase the visibility of football in the regions and, proportionately speaking, have also increased the fame and exposure of the national teams worldwide.
But let's be honest here. Beyond the continents, the fate of the AFC Cup and the AFCON is not as well known as their European and South American counterparts. Ask any casual football fan outside of these regions, and chances are that most of them won't be able to name you the winners of both of these cups, while they will easily remember the winner of the latest Eurocup and perhaps to a lesser extent, the Copa América. Even if the African and Asian tournaments are very important to the local populations, they still have not achieved worldwide fame beyond their supporters.
But this is about to change.
The AFC and CAF have decided to join forces for the first time in 2019. The first ever AFRO-ASIAN CUP OF NATIONS has been organized. After some years of negotiations, both confederations decided that an excellent way forward would be to unite and create a joint tournament. Even though the AFC Cup and AFCON have deservedly rich histories and traditions, now it is time to combine the passions of these huge populations and create a new cup, the Champions of which can truly be called the Afro-Asian strongest team and gain well-deserved glory and fame. A truly trans-continental Champion awaits in the wings of the tournament!
After several years of negotiations, two candidates to hold the Cup remained: Cairo and Bangkok, with the Thai capital finally emerging as the host of the very first Afro-Asian Cup! This idea has really drawn the attention of the entire football world. A beautiful show of fireworks, traditional dances and other festivities have surrounded Bangkok, as delegates from 32 countries, 16 Africans and 16 Asians, as well as hundreds of thousands of fans, have travelled all the way to Southeast Asia to join the festivities! This is an entirely momentous occassion, a historical event. In the opening ceremonies, dancers and singers from each of the 32 representatives have joined in traditional performances, and it's really been a beautiful show of culture!
It is important to note the following point: There has been an Afro-Asian football competition in the past, an earlier edition of the Afro-Asian Cup which was usually contested between representative nations from these confederations, usually the winners of the AFCON and the winners of the Asian Cup, or the Asian games. There were eight editions of this cup (1978, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2007). However, this edition only had two teams, and even though it was an important competition, it did not have the breadth and magnitude of this edition. 32 teams have joined the Cup, and we can truly say that in a sense, the 2019 edition can be seen as an Afro-Asian World Cup!!
Here's the Cup format. The Afro-Asian Cup of Nations features 32 teams, 16 teams from Africa and 16 from Asia, divided into 8 groups. Each group has 2 African and 2 Asian teams! The tournament has an identical format to the World Cup: Each team plays each other once, and go to a single match knockout stage until a winner is crowned (including a third place match)! There are several strong teams that can be counted on as candidates, including Japan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Korea (who I will be playing with!!), Morocco, Cameroon and others! It is important to note that Thailand, as tournament hosts, will be heading Group 7. The draw has been made and there are many interesting matchups! Is there a "group of death"? What surprises will be in store?
Football is the world's game. It is such a simple and beautiful sport precisely because anyone can understand and relate to it! It is time to expand the game and bring it to a much wider audience. Africans and Asians have been waiting for this opportunity to showcase their talents for a long time, and with the inauguration of the first-ever Afro-Asian Cup of Nations, we are ready to show the world that African and Asian football has come a long way. As all of you have seen, football from these continents has grown in leaps and bounds, both in terms of passion, support, quality, and worldwide relevance. Who knows? Maybe we will see an African or an Asian World Cup winner in the not too distant future! But right now that is not the priority.. The priority is this beautiful Cup, an important and epic first step in showcasing footballing talents from the regions, and bring all of these countries together in a Peaceful yet fiercely competitive Cup full of good will, passion, sowing the seeds of footballing future!!!! Who will emerge victorious?? We will soon find out!!
But here's an interesting point. Football is a Global Sport, encompassing teams far beyond the reaches of these two continents. It is a fact that the globe's two most populous continents are ASIA and AFRICA, both continents encompassing 5.8 Billion people (out of 7.8 Billion worldwide)! This is an absolutely massive amount of humanity. Football, as the world's sport, is hugely popular in both continents.. There's no question that it is the most played and watched sport in almost all African countries, and it is really growing in Asia, thanks in no small part to emerging stars in the international stage and their ever-improving performance in the World Cup, many of which have shocked the footballing world!
In terms of regional National Team tournaments, both the AFC Cup and the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) have captured the imagination of millions of fans in their respective continents.. Many regional rivalries have emerged throughout the years (Morocco vs Tunisia, Ghana vs Nigeria, Korea vs Japan, Thailand vs Vietnam, Iran vs Saudi Arabia only being a few!), as the fans from these regions of the world have turned out in droves to support their national teams! It is quite imporant to note, also, that the first two World Cups in Asia and Africa, 2002 and 2010, helped increase the visibility of football in the regions and, proportionately speaking, have also increased the fame and exposure of the national teams worldwide.
But let's be honest here. Beyond the continents, the fate of the AFC Cup and the AFCON is not as well known as their European and South American counterparts. Ask any casual football fan outside of these regions, and chances are that most of them won't be able to name you the winners of both of these cups, while they will easily remember the winner of the latest Eurocup and perhaps to a lesser extent, the Copa América. Even if the African and Asian tournaments are very important to the local populations, they still have not achieved worldwide fame beyond their supporters.
But this is about to change.
The AFC and CAF have decided to join forces for the first time in 2019. The first ever AFRO-ASIAN CUP OF NATIONS has been organized. After some years of negotiations, both confederations decided that an excellent way forward would be to unite and create a joint tournament. Even though the AFC Cup and AFCON have deservedly rich histories and traditions, now it is time to combine the passions of these huge populations and create a new cup, the Champions of which can truly be called the Afro-Asian strongest team and gain well-deserved glory and fame. A truly trans-continental Champion awaits in the wings of the tournament!
After several years of negotiations, two candidates to hold the Cup remained: Cairo and Bangkok, with the Thai capital finally emerging as the host of the very first Afro-Asian Cup! This idea has really drawn the attention of the entire football world. A beautiful show of fireworks, traditional dances and other festivities have surrounded Bangkok, as delegates from 32 countries, 16 Africans and 16 Asians, as well as hundreds of thousands of fans, have travelled all the way to Southeast Asia to join the festivities! This is an entirely momentous occassion, a historical event. In the opening ceremonies, dancers and singers from each of the 32 representatives have joined in traditional performances, and it's really been a beautiful show of culture!
It is important to note the following point: There has been an Afro-Asian football competition in the past, an earlier edition of the Afro-Asian Cup which was usually contested between representative nations from these confederations, usually the winners of the AFCON and the winners of the Asian Cup, or the Asian games. There were eight editions of this cup (1978, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2007). However, this edition only had two teams, and even though it was an important competition, it did not have the breadth and magnitude of this edition. 32 teams have joined the Cup, and we can truly say that in a sense, the 2019 edition can be seen as an Afro-Asian World Cup!!
Here's the Cup format. The Afro-Asian Cup of Nations features 32 teams, 16 teams from Africa and 16 from Asia, divided into 8 groups. Each group has 2 African and 2 Asian teams! The tournament has an identical format to the World Cup: Each team plays each other once, and go to a single match knockout stage until a winner is crowned (including a third place match)! There are several strong teams that can be counted on as candidates, including Japan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Korea (who I will be playing with!!), Morocco, Cameroon and others! It is important to note that Thailand, as tournament hosts, will be heading Group 7. The draw has been made and there are many interesting matchups! Is there a "group of death"? What surprises will be in store?
Football is the world's game. It is such a simple and beautiful sport precisely because anyone can understand and relate to it! It is time to expand the game and bring it to a much wider audience. Africans and Asians have been waiting for this opportunity to showcase their talents for a long time, and with the inauguration of the first-ever Afro-Asian Cup of Nations, we are ready to show the world that African and Asian football has come a long way. As all of you have seen, football from these continents has grown in leaps and bounds, both in terms of passion, support, quality, and worldwide relevance. Who knows? Maybe we will see an African or an Asian World Cup winner in the not too distant future! But right now that is not the priority.. The priority is this beautiful Cup, an important and epic first step in showcasing footballing talents from the regions, and bring all of these countries together in a Peaceful yet fiercely competitive Cup full of good will, passion, sowing the seeds of footballing future!!!! Who will emerge victorious?? We will soon find out!!
Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!
Comments are welcome!
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