Socceroos' Asian Cup bid delayed as tournament moves to December 2027
The Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia has been pushed back after Houthi-claimed attacks on the kingdom, and the new dates still need FIFA approval.
The Socceroos will wait almost another year for a chance to win a second Asian Cup, after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) postponed the 2027 tournament in Saudi Arabia because of conflict in the Middle East, ABC News and SBS News reported on Tuesday.
The 24-team tournament was due to run from January 7 to February 5 next year. It will now be played from December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028, according to CNA and The Japan Times. SBS described the delay as 11 months, while the ABC put it at nearly a year.
The organising committee cited "exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions", CNA reported. Its statement said the postponement was "necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders".
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, the ABC reported. A strike on Riyadh's international airport last month killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300. CNA called it the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
SBS reported that the delay could have consequences for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, who signed a short-term extension on the eve of the World Cup. His contract is due to expire after the tournament's original January dates.
Australia is in Group D with Tajikistan, Singapore and Iraq. Iraq is coached by former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold, who was handed a job reprieve by the Iraqi FA last month after a slump in form, SBS said. Singapore qualified on merit for the first time, CNA reported, beating Hong Kong 2-1 in November 2025 to top its qualifying group.
SBS said there was little appetite for another country to host at short notice. It also reported that nations due to travel to Saudi Arabia in the November international window have had to relocate their friendlies.
Other events in the kingdom have also been affected, the ABC and CNA reported. Golf's Asian Tour has postponed the Saudi International indefinitely and cycling's Urban World Championships were cancelled. The Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh moved from October to December. Both outlets said the Asian Cup had been pitched as an early rehearsal for the 2034 World Cup, which Saudi Arabia will host.
The new Asian Cup dates fall in one of the busiest periods in European club football, SBS noted. "The new dates of the tournament will be presented to FIFA for approval," the organising committee said, according to CNA.
Sources: ABC News, Saudi Arabia Asian Cup postponed due to conflict in Middle East; SBS News, Asian Cup postponed for 11 months due to conflict in the Middle East; CNA, Asian Cup postponed until December 2027, AFC says; The Japan Times, Asian Cup postponed until December 2027 due to Saudi Arabia unrest.
