FAS ‘closely monitoring evolving security situation’ ahead of Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia

Lions skipper Hariss Harun (No. 14) wants to play at the Jan 7-Feb 5 Asian Cup, but stressed that safety must be the top priority as hosts Saudi Arabia are hit by missile strikes.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Published Oct 13, 2026, 05:51 PM

Updated Oct 13, 2026, 07:38 PM

Concerns are growing over Saudi Arabia hosting the Jan 7-Feb 5 Asian Cup after missile strikes on Riyadh killed more than a dozen people and wounded hundreds.

King Khalid International Airport will be shut until at least Oct 17, and reports say the AFC may not move the tournament, but could delay it to January 2028 if unrest continues.

Teams and football bodies, including Singapore and Australia, say safety is the top priority, while past Middle East unrest has already cancelled other sports events.

SINGAPORE – Deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airports by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants have wreaked havoc on air travel and raised concerns over the hosting of major events in the kingdom, including football’s Asian Cup from Jan 7 to Feb 5.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a statement on Oct 12 that it is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in the Middle East and its potential implications for travel.

“The safety and well-being of our players, coaching staff and officials remain our foremost priority,” added its spokesman.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which organises the quadrennial tournament, did not respond to requests for comment.

Concern is building over Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Asian Cup as multiple missile strikes on Riyadh’s international airport in recent days have killed more than a dozen people and wounded hundreds.

On Oct 12, the Houthis, an armed political and religious group from northern Yemen, said they had attacked the airport with a ballistic missile. This was shortly after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the group towards Riyadh.

Operations at King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah, were suspended until at least Oct 17 to “allow for the completion of procedures to ensure the safety and operational readiness of the airport’s facilities”, the Saudi civil aviation authority said in a statement.

A number of airlines have cancelled or postponed flights to Saudi Arabia’s two main cities, including Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, Gulf Air, Air France-KLM and Philippine Airlines.

On Oct 9, Singapore Airlines announced it will postpone the launch of its services to Riyadh until March 28 – and its budget arm Scoot has cancelled flights to Jeddah until Dec 2.

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported that “it is unlikely the AFC would have the appetite to strip Saudi Arabia of Asian Cup hosting rights and relocate the tournament to another country at short notice”.

But the report added that if the conflict does not end over the interim three months, a more likely scenario could see the tournament pushed back to January 2028.

Singapore skipper Hariss Harun told ST: “Naturally, it is a concern when we see and hear about what is happening, and I believe everyone has the same concerns. We want to play in the biggest continental competition but we also want world peace as well.

“Safety must be the top priority because there are not only players from 24 teams involved, there are going to be many staff, volunteers, family members and fans who will be there for such a major tournament.

“I’m sure that as the organisers, the AFC is also keeping an eye on what is happening, so we trust them to make the right calls and decisions.”

Five of the upcoming Asian Cup’s eight venues are in Riyadh. In total, 31 matches including the final will be held in the Saudi capital.

Having secured maiden qualification, Singapore will play Group D opponents Australia (Jan 9) and Iraq (Jan 19) at the Aramco Stadium Khobar in the Eastern province, and Tajikistan (Jan 14) at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

Echoing the FAS’ position, a Football Australia spokesman said in a statement reported by AAP: “Risk assessment is part of our planning for every national team camp, and it will be a key focus of our preparations for January.”

Outside of the Asian Cup, South Korea are due to play Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh in November, and the Korea Football Association told AAP that it is “reviewing multiple scenarios”.

The conflict in the Middle East has wreaked havoc on the sporting calendar.

The Lions’ international football friendly against the Faroe Islands in Dubai on March 26 was cancelled, while the F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah in April was canned and the World Rally Championship also dropped its Saudi Arabia event slated for November.

David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times, focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.

AFC/Asian Football Confederation

FAS/Football Association of Singapore

狮队队长哈里斯·哈伦（14号）希望参加1月7日至2月5日举行的亚洲杯，但他强调安全必须是首要考虑因素，因为东道主沙特阿拉伯正遭受导弹袭击。

《海峡时报》照片：张马克

发布于 2026 年 10 月 13 日下午 5:51

更新于2026年10月13日晚上7:38

在利雅得遭到导弹袭击，造成十几人死亡、数百人受伤后，人们对沙特阿拉伯举办 1 月 7 日至 2 月 5 日的亚洲杯足球赛越来越感到担忧。

哈立德国王国际机场将至少关闭至 10 月 17 日，有报道称，亚足联可能不会更改比赛地点，但如果动乱持续下去，可能会将比赛推迟到 2028 年 1 月。

包括新加坡和澳大利亚在内的各支球队和足球组织表示，安全是首要考虑因素，而过去中东地区的动荡局势已经导致其他体育赛事取消。

新加坡——也门胡塞武装分子（伊朗支持）对沙特阿拉伯机场发动致命袭击，严重扰乱了航空旅行，并引发了人们对该国举办重大活动的担忧，其中包括1月7日至2月5日举行的亚洲杯足球赛。

针对《海峡时报》的询问，新加坡足球协会（FAS）于10月12日发表声明称，他们正在密切关注中东不断变化的安全局势及其对旅行的潜在影响。

“球员、教练组和官员的安全和福祉仍然是我们的首要任务，”发言人补充道。

负责组织这项四年一度的赛事的亚洲足球联合会（亚足联）没有回应置评请求。

近日，沙特阿拉伯利雅得国际机场多次遭到导弹袭击，造成十几人死亡，数百人受伤，人们越来越担心沙特阿拉伯能否成功举办亚洲杯。

10月12日，也门北部武装政治宗教组织胡塞武装声称，他们用弹道导弹袭击了机场。此前不久，沙特阿拉伯宣布拦截并摧毁了该组织向利雅得发射的一枚弹道导弹。

沙特阿拉伯民航局在一份声明中表示，沙特阿拉伯第二繁忙的机场——仅次于吉达的哈立德国王国际机场的运营已暂停至至少 10 月 17 日，以便“完成相关程序，确保机场设施的安全和运营准备就绪”。

包括达美航空、国泰航空、海湾航空、法航荷航集团和菲律宾航空在内的多家航空公司已取消或推迟飞往沙特阿拉伯两大主要城市的航班。

10 月 9 日，新加坡航空公司宣布将推迟开通飞往利雅得的航线至 3 月 28 日，而其廉价航空公司酷航则取消了飞往吉达的航班，直至 12 月 2 日。

澳大利亚联合通讯社（AAP）报道称，“亚足联不太可能愿意在短时间内剥夺沙特阿拉伯的亚洲杯主办权，并将该赛事移至其他国家”。

但报告补充说，如果冲突在三个月的过渡期内没有结束，更有可能的情况是，该赛事将被推迟到 2028 年 1 月。

新加坡队队长哈里斯·哈伦告诉《海峡时报》：“看到和听到正在发生的事情，我们自然会感到担忧，我相信每个人都有同样的担忧。我们想参加洲际最高级别的赛事，但我们也希望世界和平。”

“安全必须是首要考虑因素，因为不仅有 24 支球队的球员参与，还有许多工作人员、志愿者、家属和球迷会到场参加这样一场大型赛事。

“我相信作为赛事组织方的亚足联也在密切关注事态发展，所以我们相信他们会做出正确的决定。”

即将举行的亚洲杯八个比赛场地中有五个位于利雅得。包括决赛在内，总共31场比赛将在沙特首都举行。

新加坡队首次获得参赛资格，将在东部省份胡拜尔的阿美体育场迎战D组的对手澳大利亚队（1月9日）和伊拉克队（1月19日），并在利雅得的伊玛目穆罕默德·伊本·沙特大学体育场迎战塔吉克斯坦队（1月14日）。

澳大利亚足协发言人在一份声明中呼应了澳大利亚足协的立场，该声明由澳大利亚联合通讯社（AAP）报道：“风险评估是我们每次国家队集训计划的一部分，也将是我们一月份备战工作的重点。”

除了亚洲杯之外，韩国队将于 11 月在利雅得与沙特阿拉伯队进行一场友谊赛，韩国足协告诉澳联社，他们正在“审查多种方案”。

中东冲突给体育赛事日程造成了严重破坏。

3月26日，狮队在迪拜与法罗群岛的国际足球友谊赛被取消；4月在吉达举行的F1大奖赛也被取消；世界拉力锦标赛也取消了原定于11月在沙特阿拉伯举行的比赛。

David Lee 是《海峡时报》的资深体育记者，主要报道水上运动、羽毛球、篮球、台球、足球和乒乓球。

亚足联/亚洲足球联合会

新加坡足球总会