JAKARTA, July 30: Qatar has been confirmed as the host nation for the 2011 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Sunday. The Gulf state was the only country to submit a formal bid to host the event but had to satisfy the AFC of their ability to stage the tournament before being confirmed as hosts. India and Iran had initially indicated they would bid but pulled out before the final deadline in May.

Under the AFC rotation policy, only countries from West Asia were allowed to bid but the AFC said it would have opened the bidding process had Qatar's proposal failed to meet the required standards.

“I think it will be a great tournament,” AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, who is from Qatar, said. “The Asian Cup from now on will be different from what we’ve seen in the past, in terms of organisation, in terms of popularity and in terms of standard. This is my promise to you.”—Reuters