Sydney's Olympic Stadium To Host 2015 Asian Cup Final; Nearby Cities To Also Host

Sydney's Olympic Stadium "will host the final of the 2015 Asian Cup, with Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle the other cities hosting matches," according to AFP. The region's premier football tournament will take place from Jan. 9-31, and "will feature 32 games with Japan defending the title" it won in Qatar in '11. While Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra will each host six group games and a quarterfinal, Newcastle nabbed one of the two semifinals alongside Sydney. Newcastle's Hunter Stadium, a two-hour drive north of Sydney which has a capacity of 33,000, will also be home to the third-place playoff as well as four group matches (AFP, 3/27). In Sydney, Lee Gaskin reported at least 10 of the 16 teams "will feature in the six pool games in Canberra to be held in a hectic 11-day block" from Jan. 10-20. Australia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea "have qualified for the 2015 Asian Cup, with qualifying for the remaining spots still to be confirmed" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/27).