Saudi Arabia submits its bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced the launch of its bid to host the first-ever Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 2027. The Arab country made official its initiative to organise the event under the slogan "Forward for Asia".

This international football trophy consists of 24 teams from Asia and is organised by the AFC every four years as a continental tournament (like the Euro in Europe).

China will host the next edition in 2023 and the Kingdom now announces that it is bidding to host the competition in 2027.

"As we in Saudi Arabia embark on our own transformation forward through our National Vision 2030, we want to use our passion for football as a catalyst for the continued growth of football in Asia," said SAFF President Yasser al-Mashal, referring to the Kingdom's major project under the Vision 2030 programme, which aims to modernise the nation and diversify its economy to boost different sectors rather than rely primarily on the energy and oil sector. 

"Our vision for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup is to build much more than a tournament. We want to create a massive breakthrough for all of Asia, one that focuses on creating a new experience, a new exchange and a new expansion. We look forward to sharing our ideas with the entire Asian football family in the coming months," added Al-Mashal in words collected by the Al-Arabiya media.

Saudi Arabia is planning to host the Asian Cup for the first time and the SAFF has been working to achieve this in collaboration with various national authorities and administrations. The Saudi Arabian Federation launched a new logo depicting the wings of a golden falcon and a football as one of the first steps in the fight for the right to host the Asian Cup. 

The current Asian Cup champion is Qatar, who won the 2019 edition in the United Arab Emirates, and Japan is the team with the most strings, up to four (1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011).

Saudi Arabia has three Asian Cup titles, won in 1984, 1988 and 1996, and three runners-up spots in 1992, 2000 and 2007. The Kingdom's ambition is to revive old laurels and win back the title of best team in Asia, and to do so on home soil would be a real success for the Saudi Arabian nation. They are already working hard to host the event in the face of this ambitious challenge.