Saudi Arabia desire to host their first-ever AFC Asian Cup

The

Saudi Arabian Football Federation

(SAFF) are still committed to hosting the

finals after AFC announced that the date for the bid award has moved back to 2022, according to

.

Secretary general of SAFF Ibrahim Alkassim said:

“From a technical standpoint, the postponement changes relatively little for our candidature. We have many plans and initiatives related to the bid already underway. Moreover, the support for our bid from our government, private sector, and the general population has been tremendous, as has that from many of our colleagues across the AFC Member Associations.”

The reason behind postponing the decision of hosts for the Asian Cup 2027, which was supposed to be in November, was the current travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia have won the tournament three times in 1984, 1988, and 1996, however, they have not hosted the tournament yet. They launched their bid under the banner ‘Forward for Asia’ indicating the Kingdom’s ambition to use the tournament to take Asian football to the next level, by providing opportunities for a ‘New Experience, a New Exchange and a New Expansion’.

“The AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia would be a pivotal moment for the future of Saudi Arabia and Asian football, and we are more determined than ever to leave a lasting legacy for both,”

Alkassim added.

President of SAFF Yasser Almisehal said:

“We fully support the AFC’s decision to postpone the selection for the host of the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries across Asia remains very serious, and we continue to offer our support to all those AFC Member Associations facing challenges. It is with the same spirit of solidarity that we want to continue our efforts to bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027, and the response we have had from countries across Asia for our candidature leaves us with no doubt that our plans and efforts must be sustained.”

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