The Asian Cup 2027 has been postponed because of the security situation in Saudi Arabia. The competition was set to take place from January 7 to February 5 next year, in eight venues across Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar.
It has been put back 11 months as a result of “exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region”.
It is now scheduled to start on December 23, 2027, with the final on January 21, 2028. The effects of the postponement will be felt widely in global football, not just in Asia.
Domestic season reshuffle
Shortly after arriving in Riyadh to manage Al Nassr this summer, Ange Postecoglou made it clear he was furious so many matches were played at the hottest part of the season.
The schedule for the Saudi Pro League was planned to allow the Asian Cup to be scheduled in the cooler months – right in the middle of the domestic campaign.
It seems certain that is now a situation which will be repeated next year, as the rescheduled Asian Cup will again fall in the middle of the domestic season.
It is an issue not unique to Saudi Arabia as the host country. All Asian national federations have been finding workarounds for the big international break when they would usually have domestic matches.
Shortly after the postponement was confirmed, the UAE Pro League, for example, announced a rearranged fixture list for in January and February, when Asian Cup matches would have been taking place.
AFC Champions League
The continent’s cross border competitions are continuing, even though there are increasingly challenging logistical issues.
Last season, the premier event – the Champions League Elite – was truncated by the onset of the Iran war at the end of February.
That was a problem partly solved by having a centralised finale in Jeddah. The AFC simply tacked an extra round of matches – the last 16 – on to the already planned Elite Finals tournament.
That saw all the matches from then to the end of the tournament played in two venues in Jeddah, which naturally limited the amount of flight travel required.
Developments in the conflict have affected the new season already. Last month, Al Wasl’s match with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nassr in Riyadh was postponed.
That was caused by the travel disruption brought about by attacks on Riyadh’s international airport by Yemen’s Houthis.
Another UAE side, Shabab Al Ahli, have made it to Riyadh for their fixture against Al Hilal on Tuesday night, but only after navigating more complex travel issues.
Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup
The Asian Cup was due to be the first big stress test ahead of the 2034 World Cup, which is also due to be held in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has played host to an increasing number of major football events recently. They include the final round of Asia’s World Cup qualifier play-offs last year; the Champions League Elite finals for the past two seasons; and the Arabian Gulf Cup, which Saudi Arabia won by beating the UAE in the final recently.
The Asian Cup is set to be the biggest competition yet, with 24 national teams involved. The venues include two redeveloped grounds in Riyadh, as well as the brand new Aramco Stadium in Khobar.
With an 11-month delay, it might be hoped infrastructure will be better developed anyway, as organisers look ahead to the 2034 World Cup.
Player availability
Another consequence of the deferral of the competition that might be considered positive – certainly by clubs – will be the unforeseen availability of important players.
In countries outside Asia, which did not have an international break written into domestic schedules, coaches were likely planning to be without key men.
For example, in the English Premier League, Manchester City would have been without Abdukodir Khusanov, their defender, for over a month at a busy time of the season.
Zion Suzuki, the goalkeeper who has been getting rave reviews after his move to Aston Villa, would have been on duty with Japan.
The same goes for the likes of Kaoru Mitoma at Brighton, plus Daichi Kamada and Takehiro Tomiyasu at Crystal Palace.
There are Asian players at prominent clubs in Italy and Spain, while Germany has always had a sizeable presence from the continent.
Japan’s Hiroki Ito and South Korea’s Kim Min-jae, for example, are clubmates at Bayern Munich.
Now, they will all be available for their clubs – although they will have to make plans to be without them the following season.
UAE national team
It will be intriguing to see how the delay affects the UAE. The competition was set to be the next big test for Zlatko Dalic, the new coach who saw his new charges reach the final of the Gulf Cup in his first assignment.
Will the extra time to shape the team help? Certainly, there will be a greater selection of players to choose from by then.
There are a number of players plying their trade in domestic football who will soon become available for selection via Fifa’s eligibility rules.
They include the likes of Shabab Al Ahli playmaker Federico Cartabia and Al Ain’s multi-trophy winning midfielder Matias Palacios.
