KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia is all set to host the football 2027 Asian Cup after All Indian Football Federation withdrew its bid to host the mega football event.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Asian Football Confederation announced that the All-Indian Football Federation had withdrawn its bid from the Asian Cup host selection process. However, the statement did not cite the reason for Indian withdrawal from the host selection process.
The Asian Football Confederation’s executive committee had shortlisted the bids from Saudi Arabia and India in October. The final decision about the host was expected to be announced at a regional congress next year in February.
Qatar to host 2023 and Saudi Arabia 2027 football Asian Cup
After India’s withdrawal, Saudi Arabia is now the only candidate to host the 2027 Asian Cup football tournament.
Qatar will be hosting the 2023 Asian Cup after China withdrew as host. Qatar, hosting the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, has already staged the Asian Cup football tournament twice.
The Saud Arabia team started their FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar with a landmark 2-1 upset victory against Argentina but failed to advance to the knockout stages after back-to-back defeats to Mexico and Poland in Group C of the world cup. Argentina topped the group and then edged Australia in Round 16 to qualify for the quarterfinals.
