The head of Asian football has raised the prospect of the Asian Cup 2027 postponed to 2028, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, speaking to reporters in Zurich, said officials were in “no hurry” to make a decision over Asia’s premier football tournament.
“We can wait until the end of November,” he said. “Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region and it is a question of seeing what happens.”
He added: “If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to. But at the moment we are monitoring the situation and everything is on schedule.”
Why the Asian Cup 2027 postponed talk has started
The 2027 Asian Cup is supposed to kick off on January 7 in the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar. But the kingdom has in recent days come under sustained attack in a dramatic escalation of the war with the Iran-backed Houthi group.
On Monday, the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh. The scare delayed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Asian Champions League match by an hour. Three Saudi league matches, including one involving Al Nassr, were postponed this week.
The disruption has spread beyond football. The exhibition Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, due to feature Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, was pushed back to the end of December.
Players voice 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 organisation representing South Korean players went further on Thursday, expressing “serious concern regarding the safety of all players participating in the Asian Cup”.
A growing list of disrupted Saudi events
The Asian Cup is not the first major event in the kingdom hit by the security situation. FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have already postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 in Jeddah, which had been set for October 16 to 25.
Feature Pakistan has also tracked the wider escalation, including the missile intercepted en route to Madinah, which the Houthis denied firing, and the Houthi threats of more strikes on Saudi airports and Aramco facilities.
What happens next
Sheikh Salman set the end of November as the outer limit for a decision. With the tournament meant to start in early January, organisers face a tight window to confirm venues, travel and broadcasting if the dates shift.
For now, the AFC insists everything remains on schedule. But the president’s own words leave the door open: if the security picture does not improve, Asia’s biggest football tournament could wait another year.
When is the 2027 Asian Cup scheduled?
The tournament is supposed to kick off on January 7, 2027, in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
Why could the Asian Cup move to 2028?
Sustained Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have already disrupted football matches and a tennis event. The AFC says it will decide by the end of November.
Which teams are affected?
Twenty-four teams are set to take part, including Australia and South Korea, whose players have both raised safety concerns.
*Sources: AFP via Flashscore, AFP via 10BM News*
