2027 Asian Cup could be pushed back a year, casting doubt on Son Heung-min's farewell bid

Foreign media reports say the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup is on course to be delayed by nearly a year.

Win Win, a prominent Middle Eastern outlet, reported exclusively Saturday (Korean Standard Time) that the AFC Asian Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, is likely to be postponed by a year and held in 2028.

"A trend toward postponement is emerging in line with the circumstances surrounding the hosting of continental competitions and the changes to the Asian Cup schedule recently approved by the AFC," Win Win said.

The outlet added that at a special meeting held in Tokyo on Oct. 23, the AFC decided as part of a revised framework to hold the tournament in even-numbered years starting from 2032, in order to align the competition with the international calendar. "This change opens the possibility of holding the next edition in 2028 if a postponement is officially adopted," it said.

The Asian Cup is scheduled to be held from Jan. 7 to Feb. 5 next year in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, and the port city of Jeddah.

However, Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia that began in early October have raised serious doubts about whether the tournament can proceed as planned.

With roughly two months remaining until the tournament's opening, the AFC and the organizing committee face deepening concerns if the conflict continues.

The Saudi Arabian Asian Cup organizing committee has maintained that preparations are proceeding on schedule.

In an official statement last month, the committee said, "Preparation work for the tournament is continuing in close cooperation with the AFC and relevant parties."

It added that "every effort is being made to secure the resources needed to deliver a tournament that reflects the ambitions and standards of the host nation, Saudi Arabia," and that it would "continue to monitor the situation closely and create the conditions for a successful event."

South Korea will proceed with its scheduled international fixtures in the meantime. The national team is set to play two away matches in the Middle East in November, facing Saudi Arabia and Qatar — both games to be held in Doha, Qatar, with the Saudi Arabia match on Nov. 13 and the Qatar match on Nov. 17.

A formal decision on whether to postpone the tournament is expected to be made by the AFC board of directors at the AFC Awards ceremony in Bangkok on Nov. 19.