AFC Asian Cup official mascots

Although it is the second oldest continental tournament after Copa América, the AFC Asian Cup didn't practice using mascots until near the end of 20th century when UEFA European Championship had begun to practice since 1980. This late catch up was due to different in regions, and different in cultures affected on the decision of several host nations in the continent, and lack of interests. The AFC Asian Cup only began to use mascot for the first time in 2000. The first mascot was Nour, a Sparrow for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon. Since then, with the exception of 2007 edition, every Asian Cups all feature mascot for the tournament. It depends on the number the host wants to choose, such as the 2011 edition in Qatar had five mascots, but others except upcoming UAE only had one. The mascot for the Asian Cup is also very diverse, based on rich cultural heritages reflection of the host country.

List of mascots

Total 5 mascots were featured ever since the Asian Cup accepted using mascots since 2000:

AFC Asian Cup Mascot(s) Description Image
Lebanon 2000 Nour It was a Sparrow whom could bring the song of peace and development, as well as harmony and fair play. That reflected the situation of Lebanon back then, having just suffered a devastating civil war that destroyed nearly 95% of Lebanon, and the tournament was considered as a symbol for the beauty prevail in Lebanon.[1]
China 2004 Bei Bei It was a Chinese monkey, which is fun loving, friendly and colorful, yet brilliant in playing football. That resembles the Year of the Monkey in China at 2004, while it also praised the long, ancient Chinese culture.[2]
Qatar 2011 Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Tranaa They were five members of the Jerboas, a rodent found in the deserts of Qatar. The characters are named after different locations in the north, south, east and west of Qatar.[3]
Australia 2015 Nutmeg Also known as "Nutmeg the Wombat", he was a wombat native to Australia. He wore the colours of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, red and yellow. It was named after the football trick where a player dribbles the ball through an opponent's legs, known as a nutmeg.[4][5]
United Arab Emirates 2019 Mansour and Jarrah According from host nation, the UAE, Mansour was a football kid who had lightning speed and ability to score, while Jarrah is an Arabian falcon, representing the native animal in Arabian peninsula.[6]
China 2023 TBD TBD

See also

References
  1. "Lebanon's Asian odyssey". the Guardian. 15 October 2000.
  2. "China Unveils Logo and Mascot for 2004 Asian Cup". www.china.org.cn.
  3. "Qatar Asian Cup mascot unveiled". www.chinadaily.com.cn.
  4. "Nutmeg the Wombat named Cup mascot". AFC Asian Cup. 11 November 2014.
  5. Lutz, Tom (11 November 2014). "Nutmeg the Wombat unveiled as mascot for 2015 Asian Cup". the Guardian.
  6. "Mansour and Jarrah unveiled as official mascots for AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019". AFC. 4 May 2018.
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