The 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed by a year to 2028, according to a 31 October report by Arabic sports site WinWin. The story has not been confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Tuoi Tre notes that WinWin itself acknowledged no official decision had been made. The AFC published the full tournament schedule only on 26 October.
What WinWin reported
As relayed by Thanh Nien, WinWin linked the possible delay to new developments around hosting and to the AFC's decision to move the Asian Cup to even-numbered years from 2032, meaning a 2028 edition would not disturb the cycle. Tuoi Tre says WinWin is part of Qatar's Fadaat Media group.
Other reports point the other way. Thanh Nien cites the INEWS channel as saying the tournament will go ahead in January 2027 as planned, with no move to another country under consideration. Saudi organisers stated on 16 October that preparations were progressing on the approved schedule, Tuoi Tre reports, citing Reuters and Arab News.
A month of uncertainty
Key dates compiled by KBVN+ from Tuoi Tre, Dan Tri and Thanh Nien:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10-11 October | King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh targeted in Houthi attacks from Yemen |
| 14 October | AFC president says the tournament could be delayed if necessary |
| 16 October | Saudi organisers say preparations are on schedule |
| 23 October | AFC extraordinary congress in Tokyo moves the Asian Cup to even years from 2032 |
| 26 October | AFC publishes the 51-match schedule, opening on 7 January 2027 |
| 31 October | WinWin reports a possible move to 2028 |
Speaking in Zurich, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the confederation could wait until the end of November, could push the tournament back a year if needed, but that everything was still going to plan for now.
What it means for Vietnam
Vietnam are in Group E and are scheduled to face the UAE on 11 January 2027 and South Korea on 15 January in Riyadh, then Yemen on 20 January in Jeddah (see our report on Vietnam's Asian Cup 2027 fixtures). A VFF official told Thanh Nien the team must keep preparing as normal until the AFC says otherwise.
Dan Tri cites Japan's Sponichi as warning that a January 2028 Asian Cup would clash with the 2028 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, which double as Olympic qualifying, forcing coaches such as Kim Sang-sik to choose where young players go.
What comes next
Indonesia FA president Erick Thohir has said the issue will be discussed at the AFC Executive Committee meeting on 18 November, according to Thanh Nien. Before then, Vietnam play friendlies against Chinese Taipei on 11 November and Kyrgyzstan on 17 November, Dan Tri reports. Follow the schedule on our Vietnam national team fixtures page.