Asian Cup organizers released the kickoff times and finalized schedule on Monday for the 2027 tournament in Saudi Arabia, another move aimed at assuring continental soccer federations that planning remains on track despite deadly recent attacks in Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The tournament is set to kick off on Jan. 7 with Saudi Arabia facing the Palestinian team in Group A, with the match starting at 8 p.m. local time in Riyadh. Muhammed Q. Alghamdi, a spokesman for the organizing committee, told members at an Asian Football Confederation meeting in Tokyo last week that "daily life is ongoing in Saudi Arabia," despite the regional hostilities, adding: "Our job is to be ready, and we will be ready."
The kickoff times and locations for matches in all six groups were confirmed Monday for the monthlong tournament, which is scheduled to feature 24 teams playing across eight venues in three cities: Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar.
Iran has been drawn into Group C alongside Syria, China and Kyrgyzstan, and is scheduled to open its campaign against China at 4:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 9, at the 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Australia opens its Group D campaign against Singapore earlier the same day in Khobar.
The final is set for Friday, Feb. 5, at the 72,000-seat King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh.
The Asian Football Confederation said in a statement that "the allocation of all venues and kick-off times in this finalized schedule factors in key commercial and broadcast requirements, as well as the local arrangements put in place to drive spectator attendance and enhance fan experience."
Disruptions linked to security concerns
The continental club championship has faced disruptions because of security concerns, and some scheduled international events have been cancelled. An AFC Champions League game between Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana was delayed on Oct. 12 after Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense issued a security alert, and Al-Nassr's home ACL game scheduled for Monday against Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates was postponed.
Among other sports events that have been moved or cancelled, the WTA Finals, the season-ending event in women's tennis, was relocated from Riyadh to Indian Wells, California. A BMX cycling qualifying event in Saudi Arabia for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was also cancelled by the International Cycling Union.
Earlier AFC comments on timing
Around two weeks before this schedule was confirmed, AFC president Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said the confederation was in "no hurry" to decide whether to postpone the 2027 Asian Cup, and suggested a decision could wait until the end of November, with the tournament potentially moved back to 2028 if necessary, though he said everything remained on schedule at that time.
