Australia Responds to Hosting 2027 Asian Cup: We Have Made No Request

The Football Federation of Australia announced it has made no request to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The Australian Football Federation announced that this institution did not request to host the 2027 Asian Cup.

According to Mehr reporter, following the recent events at Riyadh airport and the occurrence of two explosions, some foreign media have announced the possibility of a one-year postponement of the 2027 Asian Nations Cup. There have also been speculations about the possibility of depriving Saudi Arabia of hosting and handing it over to Australia.

Meanwhile, an official source in the Australian Football Federation, in an interview with "WinWin" news site, rejected the published news about this country's request to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup instead of Saudi Arabia and said that Australia is preparing to participate in this competition according to the previous schedule.

In recent days, some South Korean media claimed that Australia could be an alternative to Saudi Arabia to host the most important national football competition in Asia, citing rumors that were raised earlier in April. These rumors were raised following reports that raised doubts about the holding of the Asian Nations Cup at the designated time and place.

However, the spokesperson of the Australian national football team in a conversation with the Arabic media "winwin" emphasized that the football federation of this country is following the recent developments carefully and the health of the players, team members and fans is the main priority of this federation.

He explained: The security team of the Australian Football Federation continuously evaluates possible risks. An action that is part of the usual preparation process for any national camp or big tournament and will also be followed in the planning for the Asian Nations Cup.

In response to a question about the possibility of Australia's absence in the 2027 Asian Nations Cup, this source said: Security assessment and risk assessment before any tournament is a common procedure. So, yes, we are currently planning to attend these competitions as usual.

He also informed about the continuous communication of the Australian Football Federation with the professional players' union of this country and said: "Discussions with the Asian Football Confederation about the programs of these competitions are ongoing and decisions are made according to the recommendations of the Australian government."

This official emphasized in a clear explanation: The consultation with the Asian Football Confederation is only about hosting Saudi Arabia and holding the matches at the designated time, and Australia has not submitted any request to host these matches. He also rejected any desire of this country to refrain from traveling to Saudi Arabia and participating in the competitions.

Regarding the rumors raised in April, this source also said that the publication of these speculations coincided with Australia hosting the Asian Women's Football Nations Cup, and it is possible that this may have caused the formation of some false impressions. He emphasized that the Australian Football Federation did not take any public position at that time regarding the transfer of hosting the 2027 Asian Nations Cup.

According to the current schedule, the Australian national football team is preparing to participate in these competitions in Saudi Arabia, and there has been no change in the announced schedule of this team.