Emirates, the official airline partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, has flown the AFC Asian Cup trophy to Dubai ahead of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. The AFC Asian Cup trophy traveled from Tokyo, making a stop in Hong Kong and continuing on EK 383 before arriving in Dubai.
The AFC Asian Cup is the most prestigious national team event in Asia and one of the most widely viewed sporting events in the world. It is being held on UAE soil for the first time since 1996. Emirates has been the official airline and partner of the AFC since 2002, and has sponsorship rights to all its tournaments, including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, as well as a number of women’s and youth events.
The airline, which also sponsors some of the world’s biggest sporting events and clubs, aims to connect with people with their love for sports, and in this case, through football during the tournament.
Adel Al-Redha, executive vice president and chief operations officer for Emirates, said: “We are delighted with our partnership with the AFC and the upcoming tournament will provide a great opportunity to connect with football fans in our home, the UAE, as well as audiences across Asia who are cheering on their national teams. We are keen to take a major role in connecting cities through our network and bring football fans to the event and experience the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in real-time. We also aim to further support the UAE’s status as a world-class sports hub and a center for international sporting events.”
The AFC Asian Cup trophy has been specially designed by world-renowned silversmiths. The trophy, which was unveiled at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final Draw in Dubai in May, is inspired by the lotus flower, which symbolizes peace throughout Asia, and the five petals represent the five regional associations under the AFC. Emirates operates an extensive network in Asia, and flies to 16 of the 24 participating countries in the AFC Asian Cup.
During the tournament, Emirates will receive brand visibility at each match, advertising opportunities across televised matches, in addition to in-game promotions, exclusive “money can’t buy” opportunities for fans, ticketing and hospitality rights. Additionally, Emirates will benefit from digital and social media activation rights on AFC’s platforms, and will also lead the trophy presentation during the final match in February 2019.