AFC postpones Asian Cup till December 2027

The 2027 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in early 2027, has been postponed until December next year, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Tuesday (Nov 3).

It will now take place from Dec 23, 2027, to Jan, 21, 2028.

In a statement on its website, AFC said this was in light of the "current exceptional circumstances" arising from developments in the region, including what it described as "substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions".

It said that the decision was made following extensive discussions and close consultations with the local organising committee of the 2027 Asian Cup and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

The decision comes about two weeks after organisers, responding to increasing concerns over the safety of players and fans, said it is coordinating closely with the AFC.

AFC President Sheikh Salman Ibrahim Al Khalifa told media in Zurich that —if necessary — the Asian Cup could be postponed by one year .

"We can wait until the end of November" to make a decision, he said.

"Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens.

"If we need to make a decision, then we will, but we could move it back a year to 2028 if we need to."

Singapore is among the 24 teams playing in the next Asian Cup after it came from behind to win 2-1 over Hong Kong at the Kai Tak Stadium on Nov 18 last year.

Other Southeast Asia countries include: Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Asian powerhouses Japan and South Korea are also playing in the tournament.

Doubts over the quadrennial tournament surfaced in July as Houthi forces resumed missile and drone strikes against Saudi shipping, airports, and oil infrastructure, ending a 2022 truce.

On Oct 10, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Jeddah killed at least 13 people, the deadliest in over a decade.

Other than the Asian Cup, local football matches have also been postponed, while the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament in October has been rescheduled for December.

AsiaOne has reached out to the Football Association of Singapore on how the postponement could affect the team's preparation.

亚洲足球联合会（亚足联）周二（11月3日）宣布，原定于2027年初在沙特阿拉伯举行的2027年亚洲杯将推迟至明年12月举行。

活动将于 2027 年 12 月 23 日至 2028 年 1 月 21 日举行。

亚足联在其网站上发表声明称，此举是鉴于该地区事态发展带来的“当前特殊情况”，包括其所描述的“严重的后勤复杂性和旅行中断”。

声明称，该决定是在与2027年亚洲杯当地组委会和沙特阿拉伯足球联合会进行广泛讨论和密切磋商后做出的。

大约两周前，赛事组织者回应了人们对球员和球迷安全的日益担忧，表示正在与亚足联密切协调。

亚足联主席谢赫·萨勒曼·易卜拉欣·哈利法在苏黎世告诉媒体，如有必要，亚洲杯可能会推迟一年举行。

他说：“我们可以等到11月底再做决定。”

“该地区的局势可能会迅速发生变化，无论是变好还是变坏，关键在于观察事态发展。”

“如果需要做出决定，我们会做出决定，但如果需要的话，我们可以将决定推迟一年到2028年。”

新加坡队在去年11月18日于启德体育场以2比1逆转战胜香港队后，成为下一届亚洲杯24支参赛队伍之一。

其他东南亚国家包括：印度尼西亚、泰国和越南。

亚洲足球强国日本和韩国也参加了本次比赛。

7 月，胡塞武装恢复了对沙特阿拉伯航运、机场和石油基础设施的导弹和无人机袭击，结束了 2022 年的停火协议，四年一度的锦标赛的前景因此蒙上阴影。

10 月 10 日，吉达哈立德国王国际机场遭到袭击，造成至少 13 人死亡，这是十多年来最致命的袭击事件。

除了亚洲杯之外，本地足球比赛也已延期，而原定于 10 月举行的六王网球锦标赛也已改期至 12 月举行。

AsiaOne已联系新加坡足球协会，询问比赛延期可能会对球队的备战造成哪些影响。