Saudi Arabia wins bid to host 2027 Asian Cup

Saudi Arabia has gained a bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup, the Asian Soccer Confederation (AFC) mentioned on Wednesday.

The announcement was made on the AFC Congress within the Bahraini capital of Manama.

Saudi Arabia was the only bidder after India withdrew in December.

“We’re excited to ship the best event within the competitors’s historical past,” the dominion’s sports activities minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal mentioned after the announcement.

“The dominion is remodeling earlier than our eyes and we’re full of pleasure for what it would seem like in 2027.”

The world’s greatest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has thrown lots of of hundreds of thousands at sports activities offers together with the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo, Components One in Jeddah and the profitable LIV Golf tour.

Within the coming years the Saudis, who watched as neighbours Qatar hosted the World Cup in November and December, will maintain the ladies’s Asian Cup, the Olympic-sized Asian Video games and even the Asian Winter Video games on synthetic snow.

The desert kingdom can also be eyeing a World Cup and Summer time Olympics, even perhaps a Winter Olympics, along with a swathe of different main occasions.

It’s all a part of grand plans by the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to modernise the Saudi economic system and finish its reliance on oil earlier than the world strikes on to different fuels.

“I am certain Saudi Arabia will host a improbable Asian Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino mentioned on the Manama congress.

The 2023 Asian Cup might be hosted by Qatar. It was beforehand set to be held in China however the nation withdrew due to Covid.

The Asian Cup is staged each 4 years. Qatar gained the event’s final version, in 2019, which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia has gained three AFC Asian Cup titles.

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