AFC Confirms Saudi Arabia Will Host Asian Cup 2027 as Scheduled, but Wait Until November
Special Executive Committee Rules Out a Replacement Host Because Time Is Too Short; Final Decision on Going Ahead or Delaying Expected at the AFC Board Meeting in Bangkok
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that the 2027 Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia as planned. The decision came at a special executive committee meeting in Tokyo on October 20, according to a report in Korean media citing China’s Tencent. The meeting was attended by national football association and AFC officials.
The committee also discussed alternative hosts, but with so little time left before the tournament it concluded that a replacement would be difficult to arrange.
The tournament remains set to run from January 7 to February 5, 2027. Saudi Arabia’s local organising committee says preparations remain on schedule, including work on venues, facilities and supporting services.
Saudi broadcaster Al Ekhbariya reports that the opening match will be Saudi Arabia against Palestine in Group A, at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh. The final will be played at the same venue.
The tournament has been under a cloud since an attack on Riyadh’s main airport. King Khalid International Airport was struck by a missile attack presumed to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on October 10, and an unidentified projectile hit the terminal the next day. Reports say the strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
A Saudi-led coalition says the airport has been hit by at least 20 strikes in 11 days, alongside dozens of other airports, oil facilities and ports. The Korean report says the Houthis have threatened refineries and air bases, and that Saudi Arabia has responded with counter-strikes, which has raised fears of a wider conflict. It adds that the Middle East is also affected by the stalled US-Iran war, and that if Saudi Arabia is drawn in, holding the tournament would be difficult.
Other sports events have already been affected. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has been moved from October to December 27-30. Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite win over Neftchi Fergana was delayed by an hour after a missile fired towards Riyadh was intercepted.
The Saudi organising committee has said it is continuing its preparations. It said stadiums, support facilities and services are complete and promised teams a perfect experience.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has been more cautious. In an interview with France 24, he hinted that the tournament could be postponed but said the AFC would wait until the end of November, adding that preparations are proceeding as planned. He has also mentioned the possibility of delaying the tournament by a year. Reports say the AFC is open to moving the tournament to 2028.
The postponement option has not gone away. The special executive committee plans to decide whether to hold the tournament as planned or postpone it at the AFC board meeting in Bangkok in November. The tournament could still be pushed to 2028 if the security situation worsens.
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