Abu Dhabi: After demonstrating that they are an emerging football force with a third-place finish at last month’s Asian Cup, the UAE have another chance on Wednesday to show they deserve to hold such high-profile events.

Officials from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are in Dubai to inspect the Emirates’ bid to stage the 2019 Asian Cup.

They will be visiting the Rashid Stadium — home of Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli in their second visit to the UAE following a trip here last March, and meeting members of the UAE Football Association and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Thailand are the other nations who are bidding to host the continental football showpiece, the hosts of which will be announced in the summer and which is held by the AFC every four years.

However, confidence is high within the UAE FA ranks that the Emirates can emerge as the chosen venue for the tournament, which was won by Australia on home soil on Saturday, given the country’s past record of holding major competitions.

“We have the experience of hosting events of such calibre before. We have hosted five Fifa tournaments starting from the Asian Cup in 1996, two Fifa Club World Cups, the Under-20 World Cup and the Under-17 World Cup last year. We are confident of putting up a good show if we win the bid,” said Yousuf Khoury, a member of the UAE Football Association board, last year.

Talal Al Hashemi, another member of the UAE’s bid committee, added: “By hosting such an event in the UAE, we want to enhance our experience. There is tremendous support from their Highnesses, the Shaikhs and the government, and we have roped in an international firm to prepare and submit the bid book.”

AFC president Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa endorsed these sentiments and offered encouragement to the UAE about a successful outcome to its bid.

He said: “The UAE have successfully hosted many international competitions and major events in the past and that is what is helping their bid. Of course, the decision is not in my hands as there is an executive committee that is responsible for studying all the bids, but I believe the UAE has a strong chance.”

The inspection team will take into consideration several factors other than stadium facilities, including training sites, security provisions and transportation infrastructure.