Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed by a year amid Houthi attacks
The tournament is scheduled to begin on January 7 but could be moved by a year if needed, AFC president says.
Key points
- The 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed to 2028 due to Houthi attacks.
- AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said organizers are in no hurry to decide.
- Saudi football and tennis events have already been disrupted by the attacks.
The Asian Cup scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027 could be postponed by a year to 2028 following a series of attacks on the country by Yemen's Houthis. The tournament was set to kick off on January 7 in Jeddah, Riyadh and al-Khobar.
Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said on Thursday that the event would be rescheduled "if we need to" but that organizers are in "no hurry" to make a decision.
What officials said
Al Khalifa told reporters in Zurich on Wednesday that a decision on the Asian Cup could wait until the end of November. "Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens," he said. He added that the tournament could be moved back a year to 2028 if needed, but that at the moment the situation is being monitored and everything is on schedule.
If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to.
— Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
Impact on sporting events
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr saw their Asian Champions League match delayed by an hour on Monday after Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh. Three matches in Saudi domestic football, including one involving Al-Nassr, were postponed this week. The exhibition Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, due to include Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, was pushed back to the end of December.
Teams express concern
Australia, one of the 24 teams set to play at the Asian Cup, said this week it was "closely monitoring" the situation in Saudi Arabia. The organization representing South Korean players on Thursday said there was "serious concern regarding the safety of all players participating in the Asian Cup." Lee Keun-ho, president of the Korea Professional Footballers Association, said the ongoing military tensions and security instability in the Middle East cannot be taken lightly. He added that "no tournament's value can take precedence over the lives and safety of players and football fans."
