Saudi Arabia will host the 2027 Asian Cup in January and February despite recent doubts surrounding the tournamentâÂÂs schedule due to ongoing attacks on the country and wider regional unrest.
The continental championship will get under way on January 7 in Riyadh, where the hosts will take on Palestine in a Group A fixture, according to the tournament schedule announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Monday.
RiyadhâÂÂs 72,000-seat King Fahd Sports City Stadium will also host the inaugural match and serve as the venue for the final on February 5.
Eight venues â five in Riyadh, two in Jeddah and one in Al-Khobar â will host the 51 matches across the 29-day tournament.
Despite the confirmation from the organisers, the tournamentâÂÂs fate remains under scrutiny as several of the 24 participating federations have raised concerns about security in the region.
Earlier on Monday, organisers of the Dakar Rally said the race would be moved out of Saudi Arabia for the 2027 edition due to the âÂÂrecent developments in the regionâÂÂ.
Last week, a top Japanese football official said the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia would make it difficult for the country to host the Asian Cup as scheduled.
âÂÂBased on what IâÂÂve learned from the news, the situation is still unsafe, so at this point, I donâÂÂt think it would be easy to hold the [Asian] Cup there,â Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said.
âÂÂI just had a meeting with the Saudi side, and they said that their top priority is the safety of the players, the fans and everyone who would be attending the tournament.âÂÂ
Several major sporting events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or postponed amid escalating attacks by YemenâÂÂs Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition intercepted a barrage of projectiles from Yemen that targeted cities across the kingdom on Sunday.
The Saudi Civil Defence said shrapnel from two intercepted ballistic missiles, suspected to have been fired by YemenâÂÂs Houthis, fell in Jeddah, Taif, Rabigh and Wadi Al-Mughammas in Mecca province.
The kingdom has faced waves of Houthi missile and drone attacks in recent weeks that have targeted civilian and military infrastructure.
Riyadh announced late on Saturday that international flights from King Khalid International Airport would resume from Terminal 2 on Sunday while Terminal 1 would be designated for domestic flights.
This follows the suspension of flights from the Riyadh airport after waves of Houthi strikes, including one on 10 October that killed 13 people and wounded hundreds.
AFC chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said this month that a postponement of the continental championships until 2028 was possible if necessary, but the local organising committee said it was sticking to the original schedule.
Defending champions Qatar will begin their title defence against Thailand on January 11 while Japan will open â â their campaign against Indonesia the same day.
South Korea will face Yemen, â â Australia will take on Singapore â â and Iran will meet China in their opening matches.
The tournamentâÂÂs group stage concludes on January 20 with the knockout rounds âÂÂâÂÂbeginning on January 22.
Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Cup for the first time, âÂÂâÂÂseven âÂÂâÂÂyears before it stages the 2034 World Cup.