New data from  YouGov Sport (SMG Insight) shows that the AFC Asian Cup is generating even more excitement in its host country than last year’s FIFA Club World Cup, also hosted by the UAE.

In the run-up to kick-off, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup has created more buzz than FIFA’s premier club football competition did at a comparable stage – making the Asian Cup a hotly-anticipated event in the country.

YouGov Sport (SMG Insight) has collected the data as part of its daily SportsIndex polling in the country. It shows that Buzz around the Asian Cup has increased by 44% in just seven days. For comparison, over the same timescale in advance of the FIFA Club World Cup, buzz increased by 12% in the UAE.

Frank Saez, Founder and Managing Director of YouGov Sport (SMG Insight) believes that organisers will be very pleased to see the event making such a splash.

“The data shows that the organising committee have got their marketing spot on. Although the event started with lower levels of excitement than the Club World Cup at a comparable stage, the Asian Cup has surpassed that, thanks to a mix of good PR and some smart marketing.  

“As the tournament proceeds, we’d expect excitement around the event to grow – especially if Al-Abyad perform well and progress through the group stages. We’ll be tracking it every day to see.”