Saudi Arabia postpones the 2027 Asian Cup to December amid regional attacks, security concerns and travel disruptions threatening its sporting ambitions.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia until December next year, as regional conflict and security concerns threaten the kingdom’s ambitions to host major international sporting events.
The decision to delay the 24-team tournament, originally scheduled for January 2027, follows “exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region,” the AFC said on Tuesday.
The continental football governing body cited “substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions” as reasons for the postponement.
The tournament is now expected to begin on December 23, 2027, and run until January 21, 2028, with the revised dates to be submitted to FIFA for approval.
Attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi militants are threatening Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s multi-trillion-dollar economic transformation agenda, including plans to establish the kingdom as a global sporting destination.
Strikes on the capital’s airport last month killed more than a dozen people and disrupted flights through one of Riyadh’s main transportation hubs.
The Asian Cup postponement adds to a growing list of sporting events affected by the conflict involving the Iran-backed Houthis and increases pressure on Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy.
It also marks another setback for the kingdom’s sporting ambitions, following the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games because of development delays at a planned desert ski resort in Neom.
Saudi Arabia postponed the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament last month because of the conflict.
The kingdom was also unable to host the Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah earlier this year amid the US-Iran conflict that began in February.
Meanwhile, Saudi-backed LIV Golf has filed for bankruptcy.
The Asian Cup was scheduled to take place across stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar.
Riyadh, where air traffic remains limited following last month’s attacks, was among the locations affected by the security situation.
Jeddah, along the Red Sea coast, and Al Khobar, in eastern Saudi Arabia, have also faced threats from Houthi strikes in recent weeks.
The AFC gave no indication that the tournament would be moved away from Saudi Arabia, maintaining the kingdom as host despite the postponement.
The decision is expected to affect participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders, with organisers working to minimise the disruption caused by the revised schedule.