The heavyweights, on the first day
Between them Iran and China have appeared at twenty-eight previous Asian Cups and reached five finals. Iran won all three of theirs. China lost both of theirs. The two records are almost mirror images, and neither team has added to them this century.
Iran have not reached a final since 1976, which is the longest such wait of any former champion in this tournament and sits oddly next to the qualification record: sixteen straight appearances since 1968, every edition without exception. The consistency is unmatched. The conversion is not.
China lost the 1984 final to Saudi Arabia and the 2004 final to Japan, the second of them at home, and have spent the twenty years since going out earlier and earlier. Kingdom Arena in Riyadh holds 26 000, which for a fixture of this weight is small; the match will feel closer than the crowd size suggests.
Syria 
Kyrgyzstan
Iran
China