Qatar to stage Asian Cup, most likely in early 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: Qatar will stage the next Asian Cup in place of original hosts China, the Asian Confederation (AFC) announced on Monday (Oct 17), with the tournament likely to be moved from mid-2023 to early 2024 to avoid the heat of the Gulf summer.

The continental championships were awarded to China in 2019 but the world's most populous country relinquished the rights earlier this year as it pursued a zero-COVID policy.

The AFC reopened the bidding process and Qatar, which will host the World Cup finals from next month, was preferred to bids from South Korea and Indonesia at an executive committee meeting on Monday.

"Qatar's capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe," AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

"With their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia's crown jewel."

The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has proposed that the 24-team tournament be shifted from its original dates in June and July next year to run for a month from Jan 24, 2024, its spokesman, Ali Al Salat, told Reuters.

The Gulf state has staged the Asian Cup twice before in 1988 and 2011 and won the last edition in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

The gas-rich nation has built seven stadiums and upgraded another around the capital Doha to host the 32-team World Cup finals in November and December. The QFA is proposing all eight be used for the Asian Cup, Al Salat said.

The Qatar Football Association and Qatar’s government media office did not immediately respond to Reuters request