The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has announced plans to build a new 60,000-seat stadium in Dubai. The project, which will be funded by the Dubai Sports Council, is being launched as part of the UAEFA’s bid to host the 2019 Asian Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation requires bidding nations to have six suitable stadiums to host the event. The UAE plans to use stadiums in three locations, including the Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium and Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, and the Hazza bin Zayed and Khalifa bin Zayed stadiums in Al-Ain.

In Dubai, UAEFA plans to use the cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City as well as the new 60,000-capacity stadium, which is expected to be completed by 2018.

A smaller 25,000-seat stadium currently under construction in Sports City will also be included as a stand-by venue.

The UAE, which previously hosted the Asian Cup in 1996, will be one of the four candidates in contention to host the Asian competition in 2019. The others are Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The decision on which will host the 2019 Cup is expected to be made in November.