Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 5 (BNA): Saudi Arabia is now the sole candidate to host the 2027 Asian Cup after the Indian Football Association withdrew its bid on Monday.
Preparing for the month-long tournament could allow Saudi Arabia to demonstrate its soccer-hosting ambitions to FIFA, which is seeking bids for the 2030 World Cup and future editions of the revamped Club World Cup, the Associated Press reports.
The AFC said Saudi Arabia’s bid would be the only one for members of Congress to approve. This will be at the February 1st meeting in Manama, Bahrain.
No reason was given for India’s withdrawal, although the federation was in turmoil and was briefly suspended by FIFA this year before staging the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
Saudi Arabia has not hosted the Asian Cup finals, which it has won three times since its inauguration in 1956, and the last title was in 1996.
Hosting the 2027 edition was a thrilling contest when Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, India and Uzbekistan initially submitted bids over two years ago.
Qatar was awarded the 2023 edition in October after China returned the hosting rights, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. That tournament is expected to be postponed to January 2024.
The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the fourth of five editions to be hosted by the Persian Gulf region.