The Asian Football Confederation has postponed the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia by almost a year, ABC News reported. The postponement was attributed to the conflict in the Middle East and to recent deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the network said.
The Guardian reported in an article written by Australia Associated Press that the confederation confirmed the decision on Tuesday after a month of speculation. The Guardian said the speculation followed an attack on Riyadh's international airport. Its report did not say who carried out that attack.
The reports differ slightly on the length of the delay. The Guardian put it at 11 months, while ABC News described it as almost a year. The Guardian also said the tournament has a proposed start on 23 December, with a final on 21 January 2028. Those new dates must still be approved by Fifa.
Beyond these points, the reports available for this story did not include further details on the decision.
Sources: The Guardian: AFC postpones Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia to late 2027 due to conflict in Middle East; ABC News: Asian Football Confederation postpones the 2027 Asian Cup because of conflict in the Middle East.