China PR
| Association Established ： | 1924 |
|---|---|
| FIFA Member Since ： | 1934 |
| FIFA Ranking ： | 82(as of July 2008) |
Hosts Look to Retain Crown
Hosts and reigning champions looking for their second straight title. Made a surprising exit at the group stage of the 2007 AFC Asia Cup but have been steadily regaining their form since Vladmir Petrovic took over as manager in September 2007. Made a good start to the first qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup TM last October by beating Myanmar by a total of 11-0 over two matches. Play counter-attacking football based on a solid back line led by defenders LI WeiFeng and DU Wei.
Latest（5 years and 10years）match results（Sources：FIFA.com, Penalty win be treated as draw）
| vs.Japan | vs.DPR Korea | vs.Korea Rep. | |
| Latest 5 years | D：1 L：2 | W：1 | D：1 L：1 |
| Latest 10 years | W：1 D：2 L：3 | W：1 D：1 | D：5 L：5 |
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Japan
| Association Established ： | 1921 |
|---|---|
| FIFA Member Since ： | 1929 |
| FIFA Ranking ： | 34(as of July 2008) |
Seeking First Title After Sudden Change of Manager
Firmly established themselves as an Asian powerhouse with consecutive AFC Asia Cup victories in 2000 and 2004 but exited the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany at the group stage. Finished fourth in the 2007 Asia Cup under Ivica Osim, but still boast one of the strongest squads in Asia, including players from the Urawa Red Diamonds team that placed third in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. OKADA Takeshi was appointed manager in December after Osim was hospitalized with a stroke. Aiming for a first trophy under the new regime.
Latest（5 years and 10years）match results（Sources：FIFA.com, Penalty win be treated as draw）
| vs.China PR | vs.DPR Korea | vs.Korea Rep. | |
| Latest 5 years | W：2 D：1 | W：2 L：1 | W：2 D：2 L：1 |
| Latest 10 years | W：3 D：2 L：1 | W：2 L：1 | W：3 D：2 L：4 |
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DPR Korea
| Association Established ： | 1945 |
|---|---|
| FIFA Member Since ： | 1958 |
| FIFA Ranking ： | 127(as of July 2008) |
Keeping Up the Momentum of the Preliminaries
Won their place by dominating the preliminary competition held in Macau last June, scoring 15 goals in three games and conceding just one. The back line spearheaded by NAM Son-Chol was especially reliable, stopping opponents from even approaching their penalty area with tough, physical defending. At the other end, imposing young forward JONG Tae-Se, top scorer in the preliminaries, uses his pace to break through opposition defences. Finished third at the previous championship, but stronger now and will be looking for a first title through solid defending and quick counter-attacks.
Latest（5 years and 10years）match results（Sources：FIFA.com, Penalty win be treated as draw）
| vs.China PR | vs.Japan | vs.Korea Rep. | |
| Latest 5 years | L：1 | W：1 L：2 | D：1 L：1 |
| Latest 10 years | D：1 L：1 | W：1 L：2 | D：1 L：1 |
For more details, please check on
Korea Rep.
| Association Established ： | 1928 |
|---|---|
| FIFA Member Since ： | 1948 |
| FIFA Ranking ： | 41(as of July 2008) |
Inaugural Champs Hoping to Regain Crown
HOO Jung-Moo replaced Dutchman Pim VERBEEK as coach after Korea Rep.’s third-place finish at the AFC Asia Cup 2007. This is a key competition for the team under new leadership. Korea Rep. have the players both in defence and attack, with numerous stars playing overseas, including Manchester United’s PARK Ji-Sung, and also a rich pool of domestic talent, such as under-23 captain KIM Jin-Kyu. Winners of the inaugural EAFF championship, they finished a disappointing last as hosts of the previous competition and will be looking to bounce back with a triumph here.
Latest（5 years and 10years）match results（Sources：FIFA.com, Penalty win be treated as draw）
| vs.China PR | vs.Japan | vs.DPR Korea | |
| Latest 5 years | W：1 D：1 | W：1 D：2 L：2 | W：1 D：1 |
| Latest 10 years | W：5 D：5 | W：4 D：2 L：3 | W：1 D：1 |
For more details, please check on
