2027 Asian Cup Postponed to December, AFC Says

The 2027 Asian Cup, set to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, has been pushed back by almost a year. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the change on Tuesday, citing security developments in the region.

The 24-team tournament had been scheduled for January 7 to February 5, 2027. It will now be played from December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028, subject to approval by FIFA, to which the AFC said it would submit the revised calendar.

In its statement, the confederation said the tournament’s organising committee took the decision “in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions”. The move followed extensive consultations with the local organising committee and the Saudi football federation, and was needed to protect the interests of participating national teams, officials and fans, the AFC added.

Yasser bin Hassan Al-Misehal, chairman of the local organising committee’s board, said the Kingdom had been fully ready to stage the competition on the original dates and that preparations for January had been completed. Work will continue at the same pace ahead of the new December 2027 date, he said.

The postponement comes amid the fallout of the war that has pitted Iran against the United States and Israel since February. In October, a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi movement on the airport in Riyadh left 13 people dead and more than 300 wounded.

Several sporting events in the Gulf have been cancelled or moved, including the Saudi and Bahrain Formula One Grands Prix and the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition. The 2027 Dakar Rally, due in January, has been exceptionally relocated to Portugal and the Kingdom of Morocco, with organisers saying it will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for its 50th edition.

It marks the second consecutive Asian Cup to be postponed. The 2023 edition was moved to 2024 and shifted from China to Qatar because of the Covid pandemic.