SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Dec,6 – Hours before Japan and South Korea were beaten out in the second round of the World Cup in Qatar, continental football rivals Saudi Arabia had much to celebrate.
The All India Football Federation’s decision to withdraw from the hosting race for the 2027 Asian Cup was announced on Monday as East Asian football’s focus turned to the knockout games between Japan and South Korea to host the continental championship. It left Saudi Arabia as the only candidate.
South Korea’s 4-1 loss to Brazil and Japan’s penalty shootout loss to Croatia advanced to the top of the World Cup ahead of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. But off the field, the power of Asian football has shifted to the west of the continent.
Saudi Arabia will be formally recognized as the host country in February 2027 when the Asian Football Association will meet in Bahrain. It will be the first time that the country has staged the continental competition and could also lead to a future World Cup bid.
“People forget that Saudi Arabia has hosted many international events including the 1989 World Youth Cup and three editions of the Confederations Cup,” Hafez Al-Medlej, a former member of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation and the AFC, told domestic media. “The 2027 Asian Cup will be one of the most successful Asian competitions given Saudi Arabia’s ability to host sporting events and this will show that the country will be able to host the World Cup in the coming years.”
While the teams from East Asia have traditionally performed better at soccer’s marquee tournament — South Korea’s run to the World Cup semifinals when it co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan remains the best performance by an Asian team — West Asia has kept making strides in the running of the sport.
The United Arab Emirates hosted the 2019 Asian Cup and Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa is set to be named as AFC president for a third term in February. Qatar beat off a challenge from South Korea in October to host the 2023 Asian Cup, using the facilities created for the World Cup. The Korean Football Association responded to the decision in October with a statement highlighting some of Qatar’s lobbying efforts.
“Qatar has been involved in additional sponsorships from its own companies for the AFC, which is in the red due to the impact of the new coronavirus, large-scale broadcasting rights contracts with its own broadcasters, and the operation costs of the Asian Cup,” KFA said. said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia has never hosted an Asian Cup and has won it three times since the inaugural tournament in 1956. The last title was in 1996.
Hosting the 2027 edition developed into a blockbuster race more than two years ago when Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, India and Uzbekistan first submitted their bids. The Indian Football Association said the 2027 Asian Cup does not fit into its strategic priorities.
“India has always been a fantastic and efficient host to major tournaments, which was impressively demonstrated at the recently concluded FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup,” said AIFF President Kalyan Shovey. The association has decided that the association’s overall strategy at this time will continue to focus on its fundamental goal of enhancing football at all levels, from grassroots to youth development.”
World Cup hosts Qatar has been awarded the 2023 Asian Cup after China handed over the hosting rights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This tournament will postpone until January 2024.
