Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar set to stage the month-long competition
\n KUALA LUMPUR
\nThe 2027 Asian Cup football tournament in Saudi Arabia will be postponed from January to December due to \u201cexceptional circumstances\u201d in the region, the continent\u2019s governing body said on Tuesday.
\nA number of big sports events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or postponed in recent weeks following Houthi attacks on the country.
\n\u201cThe organising committee for AFC Asian Cup approved to reschedule the flagship national team tournament in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region,\u201d the Asian Football Confederation said in a statement.
\nThe AFC also cited \u201csubstantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions\u201d.
\n\u201cThe new dates of the tournament will be presented to Fifa for approval,\u201d it said.
\nThe continental showpiece was originally scheduled to take place from January 7 to February 5 next year.
\nThe new dates are December 23, 2027, to January 21, 2028.
\nLocal organisers insisted last month that the Asian Cup was \u201con schedule\u201d, despite growing fears for the fate of the tournament.
\nThe Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar are set to stage the month-long competition.
\nThe decision to move the tournament back almost a year came after \u201cextensive discussions and close consultation\u201d between Saudi officials and the AFC, the governing body said.
\n\u201cExceptional circumstances have been created for the organisation and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled, making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar set to stage the month-long competition KUALA LUMPUR The 2027 Asian Cup football tournament in Saudi Arabia will be postponed from January to December due to \u201cexceptional circumstances\u201d in the region, the continent\u2019s governing body said on Tuesday. A number of big sports events in Saudi Arabia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-575849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n