The Asian Cup may not start until next year - but amateur footballers can kick off the celebrations early by pitching in for a community tournament.
The 24-nation AFC Asian Cup - featuring the cream of the continent's teams such as Japan, South Korea and defending champions Australia - will be hosted in the UAE for the first time in 23 years, in January.
But if that feels too long to wait for your footballing fix, the seven-a-side Asian Community Cup tournament gets under way in October.
The amateur tournament will act as a precursor to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and will give players the chance to live out their dreams by representing their country.
Teams and individual footballers can sign up for the tournament, providing they are over the age of 18. They will select their home nation or country of choice to represent throughout the tournament, and this includes host nation the UAE.
Each team will be kitted out in the official colours of their home nation, with complimentary kits provided by the tournament's organisers.
Matches in the tournament will last 25 minutes and each squad will be made up of 15 players.
The festival of football will be held at a number of venues across the four AFC Asian Cup host cities, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah.
Aref Al Hamed Awani, tournament director for the local organising committee, said the UAE was "uniquely suited"' to bring together different nationalities through the power of sport.
“The UAE is special in that we are a multicultural country, with residents from many different backgrounds throughout Asia," he said.
“We are uniquely suited to bring all of these nationalities together to compete in the community tournament which I’m sure will be of huge interest to football fans throughout the UAE.”
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Amateur footballer Mazen Omran, was the first player to sign up, representing Saudi Arabia.
“Football is a life-long passion for me so to take part in such a huge tournament is something that I cannot wait for,” he said.
“This tournament allows so many people to come together and share their love of football. with the added pride of winning for our countries.”
The Asian Community Cup will take place on the weekends in the build-up to the tournament and will conclude in a finale during the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
The first round of fixtures will take place on the weekend of October 26 and 27, followed by fixtures on November 10 and 16. The finals of the competition will take place in January.
The AFC Asian Cup itself will be held in the UAE from January 5 to February 19.
You can register for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Community Tournament by visiting www.asiancommunitycup.com or by emailing tournaments@asiancup19.ae.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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