The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday, announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) won the hosting of the 2027 Asian Nations Cup, for the first time in its history, since its inception in 1956.
This came during the work of the 33rd Congress of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which kicked off on Wednesday, February 1, in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
The Kingdom was the only bid presented at the Congress in Manama after India’s withdrawal in December 2022.
After the announcement, the Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel quoted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying, “This victory is an opportunity to create the future of football in the Kingdom and the continent of Asia, and we look forward with determination to open new horizons for Asian football.”
The Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, expressed, in a speech on the occasion, his country’s welcome to the countries of Asia in 2027, stressing that “the Kingdom is making great strides in hosting the largest international sporting events.”
The Saudi Arabia 2027 committee concerned with the Saudi file to host the 2027 Asian Nations Cup on Wednesday revealed the new and developed stadiums that will be worked on to host the tournament.
On October 17, the AFC Executive Committee selected a shortlist of those wishing to host the continental event held once every four years, which included Saudi Arabia and India, but the final decision to be made by the General Assembly, postponed it until early February.
The Kingdom obtained the vote of 43 countries to organize the 2027 Asian Nations Cup out of 45 votes, and Palestine and Turkmenistan abstained from voting.
It is noteworthy that Qatar will host the next edition of the Asian Cup, from June 26 to July 16, 2023.
