2027_AFC_Asian_Cup
2027 AFC Asian Cup
19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup
The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament involves 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in January 2027 in Saudi Arabia.[1][2]
| كأس آسيا 2027 | |
|---|---|
Bid logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | January 2027 |
| Teams | 24 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 10 (in 4 host cities) |
← 2023 2031 → | |
The tournament will return to its usual four-year cycle, after the 2023 edition was postponed to 2024 due to the removal of China as hosts, high summer temperatures in Qatar, and Qatar's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Qatar are the two-time defending champions.
AFC confirmed that the following member associations expressed their interests to host 2027 Asian Cup before the 30 June 2020 deadline,[3] and they gave their necessary letters of undertaking in November.[4] On 17 October 2022, the AFC Executive Committee announced that the host of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup would be chosen by the AFC Congress at its next meeting on 1 February 2023 in Manama, Bahrain.[5][6] However, India, one of the last two bidders, withdrew on 5 December[7] leaving Saudi Arabia as the only remaining bidder. On 1 February, the AFC confirmed that Saudi Arabia won the bid and will host the tournament for the first time.[1]
The first two rounds of qualification will act as part of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which received automatic qualification for the Asian Cup as host, is also expected to participate in the qualifiers to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.[8]
Northern Mariana Islands, whose football association became the 47th full AFC member during the confederation's 30th Congress on 9 December 2020,[9] are eligible to enter the qualification tournament only for the Asian Cup.
Qualified teams
| Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearances |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia | Hosts | 1 February 2023 | 12th | 2023 | Winners (1984, 1988, 1996) |
 Australia | Second round Group I top-two | 26 March 2024 | 6th | 2023 | Winners (2015) |
 Iraq | Second round Group F top-two | 26 March 2024 | 11th | 2023 | Winners (2007) |
 Iran | Second round Group E top-two | 26 March 2024 | 16th | 2023 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) |
 Uzbekistan | Second round Group E top-two | 26 March 2024 | 9th | 2023 | Fourth place (2011) |
 Qatar | Second round Group A winners | 26 March 2024 | 12th | 2023 | Winners (2019, 2023) |
 United Arab Emirates | Second round Group H top-two | 26 March 2024 | 12th | 2023 | Runners-up (1996) |
 Japan | Second round Group B top-two | 2 April 2024 | 11th | 2023 | Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) |
The following are the host cities and venues selected for Saudi Arabia's bid:[10]
| Riyadh | Riyadh | Riyadh | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Fahd Sports City Stadium | King Saud University Stadium | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium | Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium |
| Capacity: 92,000 (after expansion) |
Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 44,500 (after expansion) |
Capacity: 40,000 (new) |
| Riyadh | |||
| Riyadh Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 40,000 (new) | |||
| Jeddah | |||
| King Abdullah Sports City Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 65,000 | |||
| Jeddah | Dammam | Dammam | Khobar |
| Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | Dammam Stadium | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium |
| Capacity: 27,000 (after expansion) |
Capacity: 25,226 (after renovation) |
Capacity: 40,000 (new) |
Capacity: 24,440 (after expansion) |
Sponsorship
The broadcasters around the world that acquired the rights to the tournament included:
Television
| Territory | Broadcaster(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Australia |
Paramount+[lower-alpha 1], Network 10[lower-alpha 2] | [13] |
 Brazil |
ESPN, SporTV | [14] |
| Caribbean | ESPN | [14] |
| Japan |
DAZN | |
| Latin America | ESPN | [14] |
 Middle East and North Africa |
beIN Sports | |
| Qatar |
Al Kass | [15] |
 Russia |
TV Start | [16] |
| Saudi Arabia |
Shahid, SSC | [17] |
 South Korea |
Coupang Play | [18] |
 United States |
Paramount+, CBS Sports | [19] |
 Vietnam |
K+ | [20][21] |
Radio
| Territory | Broadcaster(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
Rádio Globo, Rádio Bandeirantes | |
 Indonesia |
RRI, Gen FM, Radio Elshinta, X Channel, Star FM | |
| Japan |
Radio Nikkei, Japan FM League, Japan FM Network, NHK FM Broadcast |
- "Saudi Arabia confirmed as hosts of the AFC Asian Cup 2027". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- "Men's International Match Calendar 2023-2030" (PDF). FIFA. April 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- "Five Member Associations express interest to host 2027 AFC Asian Cup". aseanfootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 2 July 2020.
- "All five 2027 Asian Cup bidders meet latest deadline to submit documents". Inside the Games. Dunsar Media Company Limited. 13 November 2020.
- "Qatar to host AFC Asian Cup 2023; India and Saudi Arabia shortlisted for 2027 edition". Asian Football Confederation. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- "AFC Executive Committee (term 2023-2027): Final list of candidates confirmed". AFC. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "AIFF Statement". Asian Football Confederation. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Asian Football Confederation. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
- "AFC Congress approves NMIFA's membership". AFC. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- "04 Stadiums". AFC Asian Cup 2027 Bid Book (PDF). Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 28 December 2020. p. 38.
- "AFC and KONAMI sign new sponsorship and licensing deal". the-AFC. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- "AFC and Qatar Airways announce global partnership". the-AFC. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- "Guide: AFC Competitions on 10 Play and Paramount+". 10play.com.au. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- "AFC agrees media rights deal with ESPN exclusively in Latin America, Central America and non-exclusively in the Caribbean". AFC. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- "OFFICIAL BROADCASTERS". AFC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- "AFC signs media rights deal with TV Start in Russia and CIS". the-AFC. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- Nicholson, Paul (6 April 2021). "Saudi Sports Company wins AFC media rights in regional new deal". Inside World Football. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- "AFC confirms media rights deal for the 2025-2028 cycle with Korea Republic's Coupang Play". the-AFC. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- "AFC confirms exclusive media rights deal with CBS Sports". AFC. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- "K+ sở hữu bản quyền các giải bóng đá của AFC". vnExpress (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- "AFC teams up with Canal+ Group in Vietnam for the 2025-2028 cycle". the-AFC. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- AFC Asian Cup, the-AFC.com