Official release from AFC Asian Cup organising committee
Qualifying for AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 continues today with five matches being held across Asia.
Highlights of this round of matches include China hosting Iraq and West Asian rivals Iran and Kuwait battling it out for top spot in Group B.
The round of matches is the second of six that will be played to determine the qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup which is being held for the first time in Australia in January 2015. Australia, Japan, South Korean and DPR Korea have already qualified for the event.
AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 Local Organising Committee Chief Executive Officer Michael Brown said the second round of matches was one step closer to Australia hosting the biggest football competition in the country's history.
"The AFC Asian Cup is Asia's biggest sporting event," Mr Brown said.
"More than half a billion people around the world watched the 2011 tournament in Qatar and we are planning on exceeding that number in 2015.
"There is now less than two years to go to the tournament and our preparations are progressing strongly.
"In the coming weeks we will be making some exciting announcements about the venues and the match schedule for the competition."
Matches in the 16-nation tournament will be played across five stadiums in Queensland, NSW, ACT and Victoria.
The AFC Asian Cup 2015 is being jointly-funded by the Australian Government and the Queensland, NSW, ACT and Victorian Governments.
