The draw for the 2027 Asian Cup will now take place in Saudi Arabia next month, Asian football officials confirmed on Wednesday (Apr 15), after the original event was postponed due to the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the draw, initially scheduled for April 11 in Riyadh, was postponed “to ensure the full participation of all key stakeholders and participating member associations.” It will now be held on May 9 at the historic At-Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The AFC, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, also confirmed that the 19th edition of the tournament will run from January 7 to February 5 next year. A total of 23 out of 24 participating nations have already secured their places.
The final qualification spot will be decided in a rescheduled Group B match between Lebanon and Yemen, now set for June 4, the governing body added.
Saudi Arabia will host the tournament across three cities — Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar — with the 24 qualified teams to be divided into six groups of four.
Among the qualified teams is Singapore, which earned a historic spot on merit for the first time in November 2025 after a 2-1 win over Hong Kong. It marks the nation’s second-ever Asian Cup appearance, with their only previous participation coming in 1984 as automatic hosts.
