The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed the 2027 Asian Cup by almost a year because of the conflict in the Middle East and recent deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The AFC issued a statement on Tuesday saying after extensive consultations with Saudi organisers it had decided to push the tournament kickoff back from January 7 to December 23.

The organising committee “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 AFC said in a statement.

“Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organisation 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 — December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028 — will be submitted to Fifa for approval.

The decision to delay the tournament ends months of speculation about a postponement which, until recently, had been rejected by local organisers.

As recently as last week, Saudi officials released the kickoff times and finalised schedule for the 2027 tournament in a move aimed at assuring continental football federations that planning was on track.

Muhammed Q. Alghamdi, a spokesman for the organising committee, last month told members at an Asian Football Confederation meeting in Tokyo that “daily life is ongoing in Saudi Arabia,” despite the regional hostilities.

Before that meeting, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa had indicated that the Asian Cup could be postponed by a year if necessary, saying “we can wait until the end of November” to make a decision.”

The month-long tournament was scheduled to feature 24 teams playing matches in eight venues across three cites — Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar.

Iran qualified and has been grouped with Syria, China and Kyrgyzstan for the league stage.

Asia's marquee continental club tournament — the AFC Champions League Elite — has been disrupted by the conflict.

A game between Cristiano Ronaldo ’s Al-Nassr and Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana was delayed on October 12 after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued a security alert.

An Al-Nassr’s home game in Riyadh last week against Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates was postponed because the visiting team didn't travel.

Among other major sports events that have been moved or cancelled in Saudi are the WTA Finals, the season-ending event in women’s tennis, which moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells, California. (AP)



Edited by Tony Sabine