Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto has warned that the security situation in Saudi Arabia could make it difficult for the country to host the 2027 Asian Cup on schedule. He made the remarks to reporters in Tokyo.
The warning comes as several major sporting events in the kingdom have been cancelled or postponed because of escalating attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen. The continental tournament is due to run from January 7 to February 5 next year, and doubts are growing over whether it can go ahead as planned.
Japan’s Miyamoto questions Saudi hosting plans
Speaking at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) extraordinary congress, Miyamoto said that, based on news reports, “the situation is still unsafe”. He added that holding the tournament there would not be easy at this point.
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Miyamoto said he had just met the Saudi side, which told him its main priority was the safety of players, fans and everyone attending. He said both parties would work with the AFC to decide whether the event can proceed, and that this decision would take time.
Organisers insist the timetable still holds
AFC chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said last week that a postponement until 2028 remained possible if necessary. The local organising committee (LOC) later said it was keeping to the original schedule.
In an earlier statement, the LOC said preparations in all organisational and operational areas were moving ahead in line with the approved timetable, including work on venues, facilities and support services. It said it would keep monitoring developments and ensure the right conditions were in place.
Other Saudi sporting events disrupted this month
Earlier this month, the Asian Tour postponed the Saudi International indefinitely. Cycling’s Urban World Championships were also cancelled after a deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Other events have been affected too. The Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh was moved from October to December, while FIFA postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 video game competition in Jeddah to an unspecified date. The Saudi government has invested heavily in sport through its Public Investment Fund (PIF) in recent years, and the Asian Cup was presented as an early rehearsal for hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034.
