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AFC - ASIA’S biggest ever futsal tournament kicks off on Sunday in Iran, the undisputed Asian heartland of the sport.
Sixteen teams from across the continent line up for the annual AFC Futsal Championship, with the hosts and defending champions expected to lift the trophy aloft in front of the home fans on August 5.
"We expect the competition to be keener with a bigger number of team participating," said AFC General Secretary, Dato’ Peter Velappan.
"This shows that more Asian countries are catching the futsal 'bug', which can only be good for the game to develop in Asia."
Iran, winners of the four previous AFC Futsal tournaments, with 35 wins without defeat, are in a league of their own in futsal and their Group C rivals - China, Kyrgzstan and debutants Lebanon – will have to fight it out among themselves for second place in the group. The top two from the four groups qualify for the quarter-finals.
Japan, who were beaten 6-0 in last year’s AFC futsal final, should have no trouble qualifying from Group A, where they face Kuwait, Macau and Palestine. Kuwait, quarter-finalists last time out, should advance to the last eight.
Thailand, South East Asia's premier futsal team, should advance from Group D. In what has already been dubbed the 'Group of Death', Thailand, crowned AEAN futsal champions a few weeks ago, are grouped with Iraq and Uzbekistan, both of whom made it to the quarter-finals in last year’s event, and Malaysia.
Korea Republic, another Asian futsal superpower, should prove too strong for their Group B rivals, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong. Whoever joins Korea Republic in the last eight will be doing so for the first time in their futsal history.
This year’s tournament was to have been played in Japan earlier in the summer but Iran stepped in as hosts when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was laying waste to sporting fixtures across the continent.
"It is fantastic that Asia's premier futsal event will begin after being threatened by the SARS virus," said Velappan. "Iran have been gracious in coming in at the 11th hour to host this event."
The tournament starts on Sundayt at 16.45 local time when Korea Reoublic take on Hong Kong. The home fans will raise the roof at the Tehran's Azadi Stadium a few hours later, at 7pm, when Iran take on Lebanon.
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