Qatar’s hosting of 2023 AFC Asian Cup paves way for Saudi to win 2027 bid

Asian football changed this week on what was otherwise an unremarkable Monday in October with the center of power moving further westwards.

Sometimes what happens off the pitch can be as fascinating as what happens on it, and that is especially the case with Asia playing an increasingly important role in the world of football. As soon as the World Cup finishes in Qatar, there will be a short break and then thoughts will turn to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup that will be held in the same country, having beaten off competition from South Korea and Indonesia to be named as the host of the continent’s biggest tournament after China gave up their staging rights in May due to Beijing’s zero COVID-19 policy.

The decision, taken by a vote of the Asian Football Confederation’s executive committee in Kuala Lumpur, has had a number of consequences.

For Saudi Arabia, it means that the road to hosting the 2027 event has become a little smoother. The race started with five runners, with interest from Jordan and Iraq never making it into concrete bids. In December 2020, Uzbekistan dropped out to leave four that went all the way. Well, almost. Last week Iran, beset by protests and problems at home, withdrew. Now Qatar, seen as Riyadh’s main rival for the tournament, have moved forward four years. It means that 2027 will be held in either Saudi Arabia or India.

“Again, we thank our three member associations — the All India Football Federation, the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation — for submitting strong bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027,” AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa said. “We must also acknowledge the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran and the Uzbekistan Football