AFC Responds to Rumors of Asian Cup Cancellation

Rumors of a postponement of the Asian Cup have left the national team's plans in ambiguity. However, the official position of the Asian Football Confederation on the matter has now been clarified.

According to "Verzeh Se", less than three months before the start of the Asian Nations Cup, reports were published about the possibility of a one-year postponement of the tournament. These speculations were formed after the escalation of regional developments and security concerns in Saudi Arabia, and January 2028 was also proposed as the new possible time of the tournament.

The original source of the rumor was an Australian media report. It was stated in this report that if the security conditions do not change in the coming months, it will be difficult to transfer the matches to another country and a twelve-month postponement could be a possible scenario. The news was quickly published in foreign and domestic media.

The release of this news also affected the plans of the Iranian national team. The technical staff has planned matches that will be held from January 7 to February 5, 2027 (17th of December to 16th of Bahman) according to the official calendar. Iran is in the group stage with Syria, Kyrgyzstan and China, and any change could change the camps, preparatory meetings and the team's preparation process.

However, a reliable source in the Asian Football Confederation strongly denied the possibility of postponing the matches in an exclusive interview with the reporter of Sports 3. This source emphasized that the AFC has no decision or plan to change the time of the Asian Cup and the published materials about the transfer of the competition to January 2028 do not reflect the position of the Asian Football Confederation. According to this source, the tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia on a previous date.

In this way, the rumor of a one-year postponement of the Asian Nations Cup is ruled out, and the schedule of the continent's biggest national football tournament remains unchanged. Iran's national team should also proceed with its schedule of training camps and meetings based on this calendar and prepare for the start of the tournament on the 17th of December.