Saudi Arabia 2027 AFC Asian Cup rescheduled over Houthi conflict

Article posted by Coliseum, November 3^rd, 2026

Image: Ministry of Sport

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which was scheduled to be held from January 7^th-February 5^th in Saudi Arabia, has been postponed due to the regional security concerns.

‘ESPN’ stated that the quadrennial tournament will now take place from December 23^rd, 2027 to January 21^st, 2028.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the Asian Cup for the first time ever and will also be the venue for the FIFA World Cup™ in 2034.

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)-based the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia.

Flagship Show Rescheduled

‘ESPN’ further stated that in a press release issued on November 3^rd it was announced, “The Organising Committee for the AFC Asian Cup approved to reschedule the flagship national team tournament in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions. The new dates of the tournament will be presented to FIFA for approval. Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organization and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled thus making the postponement necessary in the interest of all the participating teams, the officials, the spectators, and the other stakeholders.”

Premier International Tournament

Just last month the AFC President Sheikh Salman had stated that preparations were still going ahead for the continent’s premier international tournament to be held as originally planned. This came in spite of an escalation in conflict between a Saudi Arabia-led coalition and the Yemeni-based Houthi rebels.

Houthi Attacks

Multiple sites in Saudi Arabia came under Houthi missile and drone attacks with the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh sustaining at least 20 strikes over an 11-day period which reportedly led to 17 dead and more than 300 injured.

Upcoming Friendlies

Just last week, the 2015 Asian Cup champions Australia confirmed they were still committed to their upcoming friendlies in the region where they will face Qatar in Doha on November 11^th before taking on Jordan in Amman six days later while stressing that they were “closely monitoring the situation”.

Ronaldo Notable Absentee

On November 2^nd, Cristiano Ronaldo was a notable absentee in the Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr FC’s 6-2 away win over Uzbekistan’s FC in the AFC Champions League Elite – although the official stance was that he was rested. It came a week after their previous AFC Champions League Elite match had to be postponed after the Emirati opponents Al Wasl F.C. declined to travel to Riyadh for the game.

Riyadh Stadia

Riyadh, which boasts five of the eight stadiums to be used for the Asian Cup, is set to host 30 of the tournament’s 51 matches – including the final at the 58,398-seat King Fahd Sports City Stadium.

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