2027 AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027
كأس آسيا المملكة العربية السعودية 2027
Bid logo
Tournament details
Host countrySaudi Arabia
Dates7 January – 6 February
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
Venue8 (in 3 host cities)
← 2023
2031 →

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament will involve 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 6 February 2027.[1][2]

The tournament will return to its usual four-year cycle, after the 2023 edition was postponed to 2024 due to the removal of China as hosts and high summer temperatures in Qatar.

Qatar are the two-time defending champions.

Host selection

Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup bids

AFC confirmed the list of member associations expressed their interests to host 2027 Asian Cup before the 30 June 2020 deadline,[3] and they gave their necessary letters of undertaking in November.[4] On 17 October 2022, the AFC Executive Committee announced that the host of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup would be chosen by the AFC Congress at its next meeting on 1 February 2023 in Manama, Bahrain.[5][6] However, India, one of the last two bidders, withdrew on 5 December[7] leaving Saudi Arabia as the only remaining bidder. On 1 February, the AFC confirmed that Saudi Arabia won the bid and will host the tournament for the first time.[1]

Venues

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February 2027. The tournament will be played across eight stadiums in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar.[8][9][10]

City Stadium Capacity Image
Riyadh King Fahd Sports City Stadium 70,200
King Saud University Stadium 26,004
Kingdom Arena 30,000
Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Stadium 21,000
Al-Shabab Club Stadium 15,000
Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City Stadium 62,345
Al-Faisal Stadium 27,000
Khobar Aramco Stadium 46,096

Teams

Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

The first two rounds of qualification acted as part of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which received automatic qualification for the Asian Cup as host, also participated in the qualifiers to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.[11]

The Northern Mariana Islands, whose football association became the 47th full AFC member during the confederation's 30th Congress on 9 December 2020,[12] was only eligible to enter the qualification tournament for the Asian Cup, but was ultimately excluded.[13]

Qualified teams

Singapore qualified for the first time on merit, after hosting the 1984 AFC Asian Cup.[14][15] North Korea returned after missing the previous tournament in 2023, while Kuwait return to the tournament having last appeared in 2015.

Two nations from the previous edition failed to qualify—India and Hong Kong. Both of these teams were eliminated by Singapore after failing to win the third round's Group C. Iran meanwhile extended their qualification record; this was their sixteenth straight appearance in the tournament, having qualified for every edition since 1968.

Team Method of
qualification 		Date of
qualification 		Finals
appearances 		First
appearance 		Last
appearance 		Previous best
performance
 Saudi Arabia Hosts 1 February 2023
12th
1984
2023
 Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)
 Australia Second round Group I winners 26 March 2024
6th
2007
2023
 Winners (2015)
 Iraq Second round Group F winners 26 March 2024
11th
1972
2023
 Winners (2007)
 Iran Second round Group E winners 26 March 2024
16th
1968
2023
 Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)
 Uzbekistan Second round Group E runners-up 26 March 2024
9th
1996
2023
 Fourth place (2011)
 Qatar Second round Group A winners 26 March 2024
12th
1980
2023
 Winners (2019, 2023)
 United Arab Emirates Second round Group H winners 26 March 2024
12th
1980
2023
 Runners-up (1996)
 Japan Second round Group B winners 2 April 2024
11th
1988
2023
 Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
 South Korea Second round Group C winners 6 June 2024
16th
1956
2023
 Winners (1956, 1960)
 Oman Second round Group D winners 6 June 2024
6th
2004
2023
 Round of 16 (2019)
 Palestine Second round Group I runners-up 6 June 2024
4th
2015
2023
 Round of 16 (2023)
 Bahrain Second round Group H runners-up 6 June 2024
8th
1988
2023
 Fourth place (2004)
 Jordan Second round Group G winners 6 June 2024
6th
2004
2023
 Runners-up (2023)
 China Second round Group C runners-up 11 June 2024
14th
1976
2023
 Runners-up (1984, 2004)
 Indonesia Second round Group F runners-up 11 June 2024
6th
1996
2023
 Round of 16 (2023)
 North Korea Second round Group B runners-up 11 June 2024
6th
1980
2019
 Fourth place (1980)
 Kuwait Second round Group A runners-up 11 June 2024
11th
1972
2015
 Winners (1980)
 Kyrgyzstan Second round Group D runners-up 11 June 2024
3rd
2019
2023
 Round of 16 (2019)
 Syria Third round Group E winners 14 October 2025
8th
1980
2023
 Round of 16 (2023)
 Singapore Third round Group C winners 18 November 2025
2nd
1984
 Group stage (1984)
TBD Third round group A winners 31 March 2026
TBD Third round group B winners 31 March 2026
TBD Third round group D winners 31 March 2026
TBD Third round group F winners 31 March 2026
2023

Group stage

All times are local, SAST (UTC+3).

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 A2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 A3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 A4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 7 January 2027. Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Saudi Arabia Match 1
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 B1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 B2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 B3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 B4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: January 2027. Source: AFC
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 C2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 C4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: January 2027. Source: AFC
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 D2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 D3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 D4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: January 2027. Source: AFC
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 E1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 E2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 E3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 E4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: January 2027. Source: AFC
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 F2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 F3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4 F4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: January 2027. Source: AFC
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match
Match

Ranking of third-placed teams

The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A Third place Group A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2 B Third place Group B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C Third place Group C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D Third place Group D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 E Third place Group E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 F Third place Group F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 15 January 2027. Source: AFC

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winner if necessary.

Third-placed teams
qualify from groups 		1B
vs 		1C
vs 		1E
vs 		1F
vs
A B C D 3A 3D 3B 3C
A B C E 3A 3E 3B 3C
A B C F 3A 3F 3B 3C
A B D E 3D 3E 3A 3B
A B D F 3D 3F 3A 3B
A B E F 3E 3F 3B 3A
A C D E 3E 3D 3C 3A
A C D F 3F 3D 3C 3A
A C E F 3E 3F 3C 3A
A D E F 3E 3F 3D 3A
B C D E 3E 3D 3B 3C
B C D F 3F 3D 3C 3B
B C E F 3F 3E 3C 3B
B D E F 3F 3E 3D 3B
C D E F 3F 3E 3D 3C

Bracket

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
 January –
 
 
 
 
 28 January –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 1 February –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 28 January –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 5 February –
 
 
 
Winner Match 49
 
 January –
 
Winner Match 50
 
 
 
 29 January –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 2 February –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 29 January –
 
 
 
Winner Match
 
 January –
 
Winner Match
 
 
 
 
 
 

All times are local, SAST (UTC+3).

Round of 16

Winner Group Bv3rd Group A/C/D
Runner-up Group AvRunner-up Group C
Winner Group Dv3rd Group B/E/F
Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam
Winner Group Av3rd Group C/D/E
Runner-up Group BvRunner-up Group F
Winner Group FvRunner-up Group E
Winner Group EvRunner-up Group D
Riyadh Stadium, Riyadh
Winner Group Cv3rd Group A/B/F
Dammam Stadium, Dammam

Quarter-finals

Winner Match 38vWinner Match 39
Winner Match 37vWinner Match 42
Winner Match 44vWinner Match 43
Riyadh Stadium, Riyadh
Winner Match 40vWinner Match 41
Dammam Stadium, Dammam

Semi-finals

Winner Match 45vWinner Match 46
Winner Match 47vWinner Match 48

Final

Winner Match 49vWinner Match 50

Marketing

Sponsorship

Official Global Partners

Official Global Supporters

Broadcasting rights

The broadcasters around the world that acquired the rights to the tournament included:

Territory Broadcaster(s) Ref.
Australia Paramount+ and Network 10 [20]
India Fancode [21]
Indonesia MNC Media [22]
MENA beIN Sports [23][24]
South Korea Coupang [25]
Vietnam K+[a] [27][28]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Originally, K+ had their exclusive rights, however K+ in December 2025 officially announces they will cease broadcasting operations starting January 1st, 2026.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia confirmed as hosts of the AFC Asian Cup 2027". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Men's International Match Calendar 2023-2030" (PDF). FIFA. April 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Five Member Associations express interest to host 2027 AFC Asian Cup". aseanfootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 2 July 2020.
  4. ^ "All five 2027 Asian Cup bidders meet latest deadline to submit documents". Inside the Games. Dunsar Media Company Limited. 13 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Qatar to host AFC Asian Cup 2023; India and Saudi Arabia shortlisted for 2027 edition". Asian Football Confederation. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  6. ^ "AFC Executive Committee (term 2023-2027): Final list of candidates confirmed". AFC. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  7. ^ "AIFF Statement". All India Football Federation. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Two-year countdown: Dates for AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 confirmed". The Asian Football Confederation. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  9. ^ "AFC announces schedule, venues for 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia". ArgaamPlus. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  10. ^ "Football chiefs set dates, name the eight stadiums for 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  11. ^ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Asian Football Confederation. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
  12. ^ "AFC Congress approves NMIFA's membership". AFC. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Six teams to contest Qualifiers Playoff for Saudi Arabia 2027". AFC. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  14. ^ Lee, David (18 November 2025). "Singapore secure historic Asian Cup qualification with spirited comeback 2-1 win over Hong Kong". The Straits Times.
  15. ^ Mohan, Matthew (19 November 2025). "Asian Cup 'milestone' belongs to all of Singapore, say matchwinner Ilhan Fandi and Gavin Lee". CNA. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  16. ^ "AFC and NEOM announce global multi-year partnership extension". the-AFC. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  17. ^ "AFC and Qatar Airways announce global partnership". the-AFC. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  18. ^ "AFC and KELME extend multi-year partnership". the-AFC. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Midea becomes Global Supporter of the AFC's National Team Competitions". the-AFC. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Guide: AFC Competitions on 10 Play and Paramount+". 10play.com.au. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  21. ^ "AFC partners with Fancode to stream Asian football competitions in India". AFC. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  22. ^ "MNC Media dan AFC Resmi Perpanjang Kerja Sama Hak Siar". MNC Media. 23 September 2024.
  23. ^ Nicholson, Paul (6 April 2021). "Saudi Sports Company wins AFC media rights in regional new deal". Inside World Football. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  24. ^ "AFC enters into landmark agreement with Saudi Sports Company".
  25. ^ "AFC confirms media rights deal for the 2025-2028 cycle with Korea Republic's Coupang Play". the-AFC. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  26. ^ Khang, Thai. "K+ shuts down after 16 years, reshaping Vietnam's TV landscape". VietNamNet News. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  27. ^ "K+ sở hữu bản quyền các giải bóng đá của AFC". vnExpress (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  28. ^ "AFC teams up with Canal+ Group in Vietnam for the 2025-2028 cycle". the-AFC. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
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