Saudi Arabia was confirmed on Wednesday as the host of football’s 2027 Asian Cup, an expected prelude to a World Cup bid as the oil-rich kingdom spends big on the Games in an effort to repair its image. The successful bid of the three-time winners, a formality after their only rivals India pulled out, was rubber-stamped at the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Bahrain, which has been pushed by Gulf neighbors Qatar to host the first World Cup in the Middle East. was held a few weeks later.
“We are excited to deliver the biggest tournament in the history of the competition,” Kingdom Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said after the announcement.
“The state is changing before our eyes and we are excited for what it will look like in 2027.”
Officials said last year that Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has held talks with Egypt and Greece about a joint World Cup bid for 2030.
The conservative country has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars into deals including the signing of Al Nasser Cristiano RonaldoFormula One in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV Tour that has divided golf.
The Gulf monarchy is often accused of “sportwashing” – using sport to shield criticism of its human rights record. A report on Wednesday by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights said executions have increased under the current leadership.
Speaking to AFP at the AFC Congress, Prince Abdulaziz insisted there was no World Cup bid on the table, but said: “Everything is possible.”
“As you can see, hosting events in Saudi Arabia is huge. And it is part of our 2030 Vision,” he said, referring to the Vision 2030 development project to modernize the oil-dependent economy.
“Anything that comes our way that we see as viable for the vision and the strategy, we will certainly try to pursue.”
He added: “Now we are focusing on 2027 as we still have to build the infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Asian Cup. And hopefully after that we will see what happens.”
The Asian Cup adds to Saudi Arabia’s growing portfolio of flagship events, including the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, the 2034 Asian Games and the 2029 Asian Winter Games on artificial ice.
“I am sure that Saudi Arabia will host a wonderful Asian Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the Manama Congress.
No dates were announced for the 2023 edition of the Asian Cup, which will be hosted by defending champions Qatar after China pulled out due to the Covid crisis.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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