The 2027 Asian Cup, which was due to open in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, has been officially postponed to December 2027 because of the clashes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
An official statement from the tournament’s organising committee, published on Tuesday morning, read: “The Asian Football Confederation, together with the Saudi Arabia 2027 AFC Asian Cup Local Organising Committee and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, confirm that the upcoming edition of Asia’s premier national team tournament, originally scheduled to be played between January 7 and February 5, 2027, has been moved to December 23, 2027 through January 21, 2028.”
As noted, in recent weeks the tension and clashes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen have escalated. Beyond the kingdom’s oil facilities and factories, the Yemeni militia is now also attacking civilian sites, airports, ports and more. The events have led to several postponements and cancellations of football matches in Saudi Arabia over the past three weeks, in both the domestic league and the AFC Champions League.
In recent days, several checks were made on possible postponement dates. The Saudi organisers and the Asian confederation did not want to move the tournament, since they would now have to adjust the continental calendar, the World Cup qualifiers and club competitions, but there was no way around it.
The security assessments covered the Houthi front in Yemen, the clashes and fire from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, and a growing chance of a war between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other within the coming month. Given all this, it was decided not to take risks, as more and more federations whose teams are due to take part in the tournament expressed unease about the situation and asked not to fly to the region.
Importantly, in the past two weeks there were attempts by Iranian figures in Asian football to push for a postponement of the tournament, and it now seems that reality left no other choice. In addition, a source at the Asian confederation confirmed to BabaGol that Qatar had offered itself as a replacement host, but pressure from several Saudi figures, including large state-owned companies that sponsor the confederation and its competitions, dug in. They demanded that, if there was any change to the plans, it be only to the dates and not to the tournament’s location.
“This is the most responsible decision given what we know right now,” a source at the Asian confederation tells BabaGol. “The information that reached us showed that the conditions for continuing preparations in the original format and pace had become complicated. That is the regional and global reality at the moment, and we hope the situation will improve,” the source added.
“The organizing committee continues preparations in close coordination with the Asian confederation and all relevant stakeholders to deliver an unforgettable edition of the tournament, one that reflects the stature of Saudi Arabia and the aspirations of football fans from across Asia,” the short statement announcing the postponement concluded.
The winds of war are blowing again in the Middle East, and the shift of the 2027 Asian Cup by eleven months is the most significant event, in terms of its effect, on the world of sport in the region. All eyes now turn to Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran to see what other changes, postponements and cancellations of events may occur in the coming weeks.
This article was first published in Haaretz.
With another war looming, Iranian football is already deeply hurt: lost season, home games played abroad, and clubs at risk of collapse.