The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament will involve 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February 2027.[1][2]
The tournament will return to its usual four-year cycle, after the 2023 edition was postponed to 2024 due to the removal of China as hosts and high summer temperatures in Qatar.
AFC confirmed the list of member associations expressed their interests to host 2027 Asian Cup before the 30 June 2020 deadline,[3] and they gave their necessary letters of undertaking in November.[4] On 17 October 2022, the AFC Executive Committee announced that the host of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup would be chosen by the AFC Congress at its next meeting on 1 February 2023 in Manama, Bahrain.[5][6] However, India, one of the last two bidders, withdrew on 5 December[7] leaving Saudi Arabia as the only remaining bidder. On 1 February, the AFC confirmed that Saudi Arabia won the bid and will host the tournament for the first time.[1]
Venues
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organizing Committee for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 announced the tournament will kick off on Jan. 7, 2027, with the final set for Feb. 5, 2027. The competition will be held across eight stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar, the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Key venues include the renovated King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, and a new stadium in Al Khobar. Other venues include King Saud University Stadium, Al Shabab Club Stadium, and Kingdom Arena Stadium in Riyadh, as well as Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Imam Mohammad ibn Saud University Stadium in Riyadh will also be upgraded to meet AFC standards.
Eight stadiums in three host cities will be used to play the tournament:[8][9]
The first two rounds of qualification acted as part of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which received automatic qualification for the Asian Cup as host, also participated in the qualifiers to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.[10]
The Northern Mariana Islands, whose football association became the 47th full AFC member during the confederation's 30th Congress on 9 December 2020,[11] was only eligible to enter the qualification tournament for the Asian Cup, but was ultimately excluded.[12]
Qualified teams
Singapore qualified for the first time on merit, after hosting the 1984 AFC Asian Cup.[13][14]North Korea returned after missing the previous tournament in 2023, while Kuwait return to the tournament having last appeared in 2015.
Two nations from the previous edition failed to qualify—India and Hong Kong. Both of these teams were eliminated by Singapore after failing to win the third round's Group C. Iran meanwhile extended their qualification record; this was their sixteenth straight appearance in the tournament, having qualified for every edition since 1968.
↑Originally, K+ had their exclusive rights until 2029, however K+ in December 2025 officially announces they will cease broadcasting operations starting January 1st, 2026.[25]
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