Both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates marked the 2019 edition as the 10th edition they have qualified. While the United Arab Emirates automatically qualified as host, Qatar was the first country to qualify for the tournament, having secured it in November 2015. Being the two earliest teams to qualify, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar also had unsuccessful attempts to qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup. This prompted the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to replace managers, with the Emirates appointed 2011 AFC Asian Cup winner Alberto Zaccheroni, and Qatar hired Félix Sánchez Bas, former youth coach of FC Barcelona and the architect of Qatar's successful 2014 AFC U-19 Championship conquest.