2027 Asian Cup postponed to December after Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia

The 2027 Asian Cup has been postponed by up to a year after Houthi attacks on host nation Saudi Arabia forced the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to abandon its original January 7 start date, with the rescheduled tournament now pencilled in to run from December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028.

The AFC cited “exceptional circumstances” in announcing the delay, pointing to a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s international airport in October that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for that attack.

“Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organisation and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled, making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders,” the AFC said in a statement. The confederation added that the new dates must still be presented to FIFA for approval.

The delay carries significant knock-on effects for club football. Several Premier League players who would have been required to leave their clubs mid-season to represent their countries will now remain available for the remainder of this campaign. Among those affected are Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who plays internationally for Japan; Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov of Uzbekistan; and Hull City’s Australia international Lucas Herrington.

The Asian Cup is not the only sporting event in the region to have been disrupted by the security situation. The Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh was moved from October to December. Other events have pressed ahead, however — Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Christian Mbilli in a world title bout in Riyadh on Saturday.