5 international tournaments to look forward to in 2019

So the end is near at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This time next week either France, Belgium, England or Croatia will celebrate becoming world champions. The feeling of nothingness will hit most football fans, who'll get even more depressed when they realize that the next World Cup won't take place in four years. With FIFA awarding the competition to Qatar, we'll have to wait nearly four and a half years before the next World Cup, as the action is set to start in late-November 2022 in the competition.

However, Sunday's final doesn't mean that we'll have to wait for the next Euros to see top-level international football. 2019 will actually be a great year for international football, with a number of exciting tournaments taking place in the same year.

Note that the following list contains men's competitions. The women's World Cup will also take place next year.

#5 CONCACAF Gold Cup

USA and Jamaica played out a hard-fought Gold Cup final in 2017

Played on June 18 - July 18, the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup will decide the North, Central American, and Caribbean region champion.

The USA will host the tournament and they'll also be looking to defend the title after beating Jamaica 2-1 in the 2017 final.

USMNT and Mexico have dominated the tournament, winning all but one title thus far, but the gap in quality is diminishing in the region, evident by the fact that the US missed Russia 2018 and there hasn't been a USA - Mexico final at the Gold Cup since 2011 when the Mexicans won in a classic 4-2 affair.

Jamaica has been in two straight finals, while World Cup debutants in 2018 Panama made it into the final in 2013.

USA, Mexico and Panama are three of six nations who have already qualified for the tournament.

The performance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers also secured qualification for Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Honduras.

The rest of the field will be decided in a qualification tournament which starts in September.

#4 AFC Asian Cup

Australia won their first Asian Cup in 2015

Asian teams impressed at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and that should make the local championships really interesting to watch.

20 years ago, there weren't many superstars from Asia, but the quality of football in the region has gone through a rapid rise, which has brought us players like Son Heung-min and Shinji Kagawa. The addition of Australia has also helped Asian football grow.

The Socceroos are also the title defenders at the tournament which takes place in the United Arab Emirates on January 5 - February 1.

There will be 24 teams in action following an expansion from a 16-team format. 16 previous editions have seen only eight teams winning it, but the last three tournaments have all seen a different winner, so the competition is fierce and many look capable of taking the crown.

Last two winners have been decided in extra-time, so we should gear up for some great drama.

The final in 2015 was one of the most epic finals ever in international competition when Son scored an injury-time equalizer for South Korea before James Troisi netted the winner for Australia just before the break in extra-time.

#3 African Cup of Nations

Cameroon celebrating winning the African Cup of Nations in 2017

The 32nd edition of the African Cup of Nations will be a very different experience compared to previous tournaments.

It will be the first one that will feature 24 teams and unlike previous years, it will be played in the summer. Cameroon are the hosts with play starting on June 7 and ending on June 30.

For the first time since 1984, all African teams failed to progress from the opening round at the FIFA World Cup, but there have always been exciting players on the Dark Continent who take great pride from winning the local championships.

Many of them even ignored their club's wishes when the tournament was previously played in January and February.

With CAF moving the competition into the Summer, all the top players should be playing in 2019 and it promises to be a very unpredictable tournament, as it usually is in Africa.

The last five editions have all been won by different teams and we witnessed a real shock winner in 2012 when Zambia beat Ivory Coast in the final. There have also been nations like Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso among the top-three at recent tournaments.

Hosts Cameroon will be defending the title after beating Egypt 2-1 in the 2017 final. They are also currently the only side that has qualified for the tournament. The qualifiers have already started and will conclude in March 2019.

#2 UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League trophy is waiting for its first winner

We have to wait two years for the next Euros, but we'll actually get to see top European international football a lot sooner. The new UEFA Nations League starts to play this Autumn. 55 UEFA nations are divided into four divisions with double matchdays taking place in September, October and November. Teams in the top division - League A - will decide the winner of the competition next June.

All the big boys like Spain, Germany, England and France are in the top division, alongside recent greatly improved nations like Iceland and Croatia. Four group winners will move on to the semi-finals stage that will be played on June 5-6, with the final and the third-place playoff following on June 9.

With only four games played, it's not really a tournament in 2019, but it would be unfair to leave the Nations League off the list as it's set to become a very important event on the international calendar. There will also be some big money involved with the winner getting €4.5m in prize money.

#1 Copa America

The Copa America is one of the few trophies Lionel Messi hasn't won

A while back it seemed like the Copa America is played pretty much every year, so it might come as a surprise for some that the last edition took place in 2016.

Chile won the centennial Copa America to take their second consecutive crown. The FIFA World Cup might be the most prestigious international football competition, but Copa America is the oldest. 2019, which will be played in Brazil, will be the 46th edition.

The Copa will return to its usual format of 12 participating teams after the Copa America Centenario featured 16 sides.

10 CONMEBOL nations will be joined by Japan and Qatar as the invited teams. Mexico won't be involved for the first time since 1993, so look for them to take the Gold Cup very seriously next year.

There are doubts whether Leo Messi will play at the next World Cup, but surely he'll be hyped up to play at the Copa next year after losing the last two finals on penalties. Neymar and the rest of the Brazilian squad will be looking to win their first trophy since 2007.

Chile, Uruguay and Colombia have all done well at recent editions, so it will be a real battle to win it. The tournament takes place on June 14 - July 7.

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