Asian Football Confederation postpones 2027 Asian Cup because of conflict in Middle East

Asia Football Confederation President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, left, poses with FIFA President Gianni Infantino during an inauguration ceremony for the new building of the Asia Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

SEOUL, South Korea — The 2027 Asian Cup soccer tournament has been delayed almost a year in the wake of recent deadly attacks on host country Saudi Arabia, becoming the biggest sports event to be postponed amid the conflict in the Middle East.

The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement Tuesday that after consultations with Saudi organizers it decided to push the start of its marquee continental championship back from Jan. 7 to Dec. 23.

The decision came to seem likely after developments in recent weeks raised questions over whether the 2034 World Cup host nation is currently safe enough for a major international soccer tournament.

Local organizers agreed to reschedule in “circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions,” the AFC said. “Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organization and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled, making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders.”

The new dates — Dec. 23, 2027 to Jan. 21, 2028, ending just days before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan opens — will be submitted to FIFA for approval. FIFA sign-off for rescheduled dates is needed to mandate when clubs worldwide must release their players to national-team duty.

The monthlong tournament was scheduled to feature 24 teams playing matches in eight venues across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar. Iran qualified and has been grouped with Syria, China and Kyrgyzstan for the league stage. The Saudis, Australia, South Korea and Japan were top seeds in other groups.

The AFC’s announcement ended months of speculation about a postponement which, until recently, had been rejected by local organizers.

Muhammed Q. Alghamdi, a spokesman for the organizing committee, last month told members at an AFC meeting in Tokyo that “daily life is ongoing in Saudi Arabia.”

Before that meeting, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa had indicated potential for the Asian Cup to be postponed by a year if necessary and said a final decision could be delayed until late November.

Other sports disruptions

The Saudi Formula 1 Grand Prix was canceled this season, and the Bahrain race was relocated to Malaysia because of safety concerns related to the Iran war. Races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still on the calendar, and F1 has kept Saudi Arabia on the 2027 schedule with a grand prix planned there in March.

The WTA Finals, the season-ending event in women’s tennis, was moved from Saudi Arabia to Indian Wells, California.

Asia’s marquee continental club soccer tournament — the AFC Champions League Elite — has already been disrupted.

A game between Cristiano Ronaldo ’s Al-Nassr and Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana was delayed on Oct. 12 after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued a security alert. An Al-Nassr’s home game last week was postponed when against Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates didn’t travel to Riyadh.

Impact on Asian Cup teams

Tuesday’s postponement means national federations across Asia face decisions about coaching staff with the originally scheduled Asian Cup marking the end of a four-year cycle before attention turns toward qualification for the 2030 World Cup.

Australia coach Tony Popovic, who guided the Socceroos to the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup, turned down a four-year contract extension in September in favor of a shorter deal through the Asian Cup.

“It was my choice to go until the Asian Cup,” Popovic said at the time, saying a decision on his longer-term future would then be made with the Australian federation.

“I know the legacy that I will leave behind,” he said. “And if it’s someone else that takes it forward, that’s fine. If it’s me, great, we agree to do this together.”

South Korea is also in a difficult position. After a disappointing World Cup, the Korea Football Association appointed Robert Moreno as interim coach in September.

The former Spain coach was given a contract through the end of November, with the possibility of a two or three-month extension to cover the Asian Cup. A strong tournament was expected to lead to a permanent appointment but now the KFA will have to make a decision without seeing how the team performs in the continental championship which it hasn’t won since 1960.

After the World Cup, Japan gave coach Hajime Moriyasu an extension through the Asian Cup, with under-21 coach Go Oiwa then due to take over.

“Mr. Moriyasu has already shown that he can win in Asia, and we hope he can do so again by winning the Asian Cup,” Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said when the appointment was announced. “We worked backward from the goal of winning the Asian Cup. As for Mr. Oiwa, as the U-21 manager, we wanted him to focus on winning the Asian Games and to remain fully committed to the U-21 team until the end of the year.”

In Iraq, coach Graham Arnold signed an extension after the World Cup that was also designed to run through the Asian Cup.

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John Duerden, The Associated Press