With just over two months until the start of the 2027 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the match times and venues. Despite ongoing attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels, host nation Saudi Arabia has announced the tournament schedule, indicating a commitment to proceed as planned.
The AFC and the Asian Cup organizing committee revealed the kickoff times and venues for all matches on October 26. This will be the first time Saudi Arabia hosts the Asian Cup, featuring 24 participating nations. A total of 51 matches will take place across eight venues in three cities: Riyadh (five venues), Jeddah (two venues), and Al Khobar (one venue).
The group stage will be divided into six groups and will run from January 7 to January 20. The knockout stage will begin on January 22, with the quarterfinals scheduled for January 28-29 and the semifinals on February 1-2.
The opening match will take place on January 7 at 8 p.m. at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh, featuring Saudi Arabia against Palestine. The final will also be held at this stadium on February 5 at 8 p.m., which has a capacity of 72,000.
South Korea, aiming to reclaim the title for the first time since 1960, has been drawn into Group E alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Vietnam, and Yemen. South Korea will kick off its group stage on January 10 at 7:30 p.m. (Korean time) against Yemen at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The team will face Vietnam on January 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, and conclude the group stage against the UAE on January 20 at 10:30 p.m. at Imam Muhammad bin Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.
While the tournament schedule has been finalized, the security situation surrounding Saudi Arabia remains precarious. The country has recently faced multiple attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, resulting in damage to airports and energy facilities. Riyadh's international airport was closed for two weeks before resuming operations on October 25.
Concerns are particularly high regarding Yemen, South Korea's first opponent, as it is a stronghold of the Houthi rebels engaged in conflict with Saudi Arabia.
International sporting events scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia have been postponed. The sixth Indoor Martial Arts Asian Games, originally set for December in Riyadh, has been moved to March next year. Additionally, an AFC Champions League Elite match between Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia) and Al Wasl (UAE), scheduled for October 26 in Riyadh, has also been delayed.
According to the Associated Press, the announcement of the schedule is seen as a measure to reassure football associations across Asia that preparations for the tournament are proceeding smoothly.
However, the feasibility of holding the tournament as planned remains uncertain. Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, president of the Japan Football Association, recently expressed concerns about the security situation in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that hosting the event may not be straightforward.
Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the AFC, has also indicated that the tournament could be postponed to 2028 depending on the circumstances.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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