(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Gulf Cup champion Oman faces a challenging task at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after the Red Warriors were pooled along with four-time winners and fancied Japan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Group F following the draw at a gala ceremony held at the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, on Friday.
The continent's top 24 teams will be in action for 28 days in the UAE from January 5-February 1.
Oman coach Pim Verbeek termed the draw good and told Muscat Daily, 'It is an interesting group and I am looking forward to the tournament in January. I always know that in such competitions, there will be two strong teams in a group.
The Dutchman said, "Japan is the most successful team in the Asian Cup. It is a great team with very skillful players and had probably the best league in Asia. So that is going to be a very interesting game for us.
'Uzbekistan is a very skillful young team. It had won the AFC U23 Championship 2018 in China with a lot of young players. The Central Asian side players are very strong physically.
'As for Turkmenistan (FIFA ranking 129), Oman has played against it during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. I have to be fair, I don't have much idea about it."
Oman coach Pim Verbeek speaks to journalists after the draw in UAE
'We have seven months to prepare and know how good we are and also will keep eye on our opponents,' he added.
Ranked 87th in the world, Oman first qualified for the prestigious tournament in 2004 and since then made it to the finals in 2007 and in 2015.
Japan in ranked 60th while Uzbekistan, according to the latest FIFA ranking is at 88th place.
Meanwhile, defending champion Australia was handed an intriguing draw.
The Socceroos, who beat South Korea 2-1 in the final of the 2015 edition as hosts, have been drawn in Group B with Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
Former champion Iran and Iraq have been slotted in Group D along with Vietnam and Yemen, while feuding neighbours Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been drawn in Group E with North Korea and Lebanon for company.
The Saudis have won the continental championship three times, but its last success was in 1996 when the event was hosted by the UAE.
The expanded tournament will see 24 teams battle it out for a US$5mn top prize along with a brand new trophy, which was also unveiled at the draw on Friday.
The runners-up in the richest-ever Asian Cup will pocket US$3mn while all 24 teams taking part will be awarded US$200,000 for merely qualifying.
The tournament will kick off with a Group A match between hosts UAE and Bahrain at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 5.
Ahead of the draw, the new Asian Cup trophy was unveiled by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman al Khalifa and former UAE international Zuhair Bakheet.
Group A: UAE, Thailand, India, Bahrain; Group B: Australia, Syria, Palestine, Jordan; Group C: South Korea, China, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines; Group D: Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Yemen; Group E: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, North Korea; Group F: Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Turkmenistan.
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