The 2027 Asian Cup will go ahead as planned in Saudi Arabia, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirming the tournament schedule and venues on Monday.
The tournament will kick-off on January 7 with Saudi Arabia taking on Palestine at Riyadh's King Fahd Sports City Stadium.
The 24-team continental championship will run until February 5, with the opening match and final both scheduled to take place at the King Fahd Sports City Stadium.
The tournament will take place across eight venues in three cities – Riyadh (five), Jeddah (two) and Al Khobar (one).
The UAE are in Group E and begin their Asian Cup campaign against Vietnam on January 11 at the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.
Their next group game is against Yemen on January 15 at Riyadh's King Fahd Sports City Stadium. The UAE conclude their group phase against South Korea on January 20 at the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University Stadium.
Defending champions Qatar will begin their title defence against Thailand on January 11, while Japan open their campaign against Indonesia the same day.
The group stage concludes on January 20, with the knockout rounds beginning on January 22.
Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Cup for the first time, seven years before it stages the 2034 World Cup. It will be second Fifa finals to take place in the Gulf region after the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
The news comes amid a spate of event postponements and cancellations in Saudi Arabia due to intense fighting between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
In recent weeks, matches involving Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, the Six Kings tennis tournament and the 2027 Dakar Rally have either been rescheduled or postponed.
Elsewhere, the Riyadh Fashion Week and Future Investment Initiative conference were among various cultural and economic events postponed.
