Qatar will host the 2023 Asian Cup, India and Saudi Arabia remain in the race to host the 2027 edition

The Executive Office of the Asian Football Confederation confirmed on Monday the selection of the Qatar Football Association to host the 2023 Asian Cup.

This came during the eleventh meeting held by the Executive Office, chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation.

Sheikh Salman congratulated the Qatar Football Association on the successful hosting bid, and expressed the appreciation of the Asian football family to the Indonesian Football Association and the South Korean Football Association for the commendable hosting files.

The AFC President said: “On behalf of the AFC and the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on obtaining the rights to host the next edition of the Asian Cup.

He added: We must also thank the Indonesian Football Association and the South Korean Football Association, for their interest in hosting this tournament.

He explained: Qatar’s capabilities, its record in hosting major sporting events, and their meticulous attention to detail are highly appreciated all over the world.

“I would also like to commend the AFC for showing the highest degree of professionalism in organizing the nomination process according to the highest standards of fairness and transparency, and I would also like to thank all of our business partners and sponsors for their patience during these exceptional times.”

He continued, “Given the short time to prepare, we know that the hard work will begin immediately, but with the possession of world-class infrastructure and high organizational capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will organize a great edition commensurate with the value and prestige of the jewel in the championships of the continent of Asia.”

It is noteworthy that Qatar is the holder of the Asian Cup title, and the country will host the most important men’s tournament in the Asian continent for the third time in its history, after the 1988 and 2011.

The Executive Office also discussed the nomination files submitted to host the 2027 Asian Cup, which are now limited to the Indian Football Association and the Saudi Football Association, as the decision to determine the host country will be taken during the next General Assembly meeting in February 2023.

Based on this decision, the Qatar Football Association’s nomination file to host the 2027 Asian Cup was closed, as it was considered withdrawn, after the successful request to host the 2023 Asian Cup, according to the instructions for submitting the nomination files.

The Australian Football Association withdrew from the nomination process to host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on 1 September 2022, while the Uzbek Football Association and the Iranian Football Association withdrew from the nomination process to host the 2027 Asian Cup, on 14 December 2020 and 13 October October 2022 respectively.

The AFC President said: “Once again, we thank the three national associations, the Indian Football Association, the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Football Association for submitting strong nomination files to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

And he added: We must also commend the Iranian Football Association and the Uzbek Football Association for expressing their desire to host the 2027 Asian Cup, as well as the Australian Football Association, which announced its desire to host the tournament in 2023.

Across all of our competitions, we are seeing record-breaking growth in numbers of interactions with digital channels and in TV viewership numbers, and we have a responsibility to ensure that each tournament exceeds the achievements in the previous edition.

He continued, “Through the Indian Football Association and the Saudi Football Association, we have two distinct hosting profiles, and I am absolutely confident that the Qatar Football Association will enable the foundations of the tournament, so that the host of the 2027 edition can build on it.”

During the meeting, the Executive Office expressed its deepest condolences to the Indonesian Football Association and the families of the victims of the events that took place at Kanjuruhan Stadium in the Indonesian city of Malang, earlier this month.

The Executive Office also expressed its condolences on the passing of Mr. Lim Kia Tong, President of the Singapore Football Association, who was also the Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.

Sheikh Salman said: “The tragedy of Malang was a painful loss, and all our feelings and support are to the families and friends of the victims and to the Indonesian Football Association.”

“Last month, too, we lost a dear brother and friend, Lim Kia Tong, and we will miss him. He will always be in our hearts and will continue to inspire us through his legacy of integrity, professionalism and a great love for playing.”

Sheikh Salman also expressed his gratitude for the great response he got for his re-election as AFC President.

“I would like to thank you all for the wonderful support you have given, and I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your contributions, as we reach the final stages of the 2019-2023 Executive Office cycle,” he said.

He added: “This great development in Asian football would not have been possible without your support and unity of common goal, which has been shown repeatedly.”

The AFC President thanked Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, for his great support to the Asian football family, and affirmed the AFC’s support for Mr. Infantino’s candidacy for his re-election to the FIFA Presidency.

During the meeting, the Executive Office approved all decisions issued by the committees working in the federation since the last meeting, the most prominent of which was the recommendation of the Competitions Committee to grant the rights to host the 2024 AFC U-23 Cup to the Qatar Football Association.

Also, the Executive Office decided to endorse the recommendation of the Development Committee in the Union to introduce the unified program of the instructions for the advanced program in the Union.

It was decided to appoint Mr. Zhao Zhao, Chairman of the Social Responsibility Committee in the Federation, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asian Dream Fund, where the completion of the Social Responsibility strategy in the Federation was also commended.

In the field of social responsibility as well, the Executive Office welcomed the ratification of the AFC’s membership in the “Football for Goals” initiative program of the United Nations.