With China removing themselves as host of the 2023 Asian Cup due to COVID-19 concerns, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has given member associations until the end of June 2022 to submit an interest to host the event.
The 24-team tournament was going to be held June 16 to July 17, 2023 across 10 cities in China, but the Chinese Football Association has been forced to give up their hosting rights due to COVID-19 uncertainty.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both bidding to host the 2027 Asian Cup and are viewed as potential hosts for the 2023 edition.
With Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup at the end of 2022, they would appear to be the front-runner to host the Asian Cup in 2023, but with temperatures reaching 45 to 50 degrees Celsius in June and July in the Middle East, neither Qatar nor Saudi Arabia could host the tournament during the current dates.
Saudi Arabia has said their stadium developments won’t be ready in time for next year, which is why they are targeting hosting in 2027.
Further complicating matters, the AFC likes to alternate sites between West Asia and East Asia. The 2019 Asian Cup was held in the United Arab Emirates, which could potentially mean three successive Asian Cups in the same region if Qatar hosts in 2023 and Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Both the Japan and Korea Football Associations have been contacted by the AFC about hosting in 2023, but they are concerned about the compressed timeline to properly stage the event.
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