UAE up against six other bids to host 2031 AFC Asian Cup

The National

11-04-2025

The UAE face competition from six other bids to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup after a record seven Expressions of Interest were submitted to the Asian Football Confederation. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, president of the Football Association, confirmed the UAE's bid to host the quadrennial championship in a social media post in February. The UAE's bid faces competition from India, Indonesia, Kuwait, South Korea and Uzbekistan as well as a joint-bid from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Chairing the sixth AFC Executive Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the eve of the 35th AFC Congress, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa thanked the respective member associations (MA) bidding to host Asia's most prestigious international tournament. The AFC president said in a press release: 'The record number of bids that we have received is further testament to the stature and appeal of the AFC Asian Cup and on behalf of the AFC Executive Committee, I would like to put on record our sincere appreciation to all our MAs for outlining their ambition to extend and expand on our proud legacy.' Sheikh Salman said the high level of interest in hosting the 2031 Asian Cup "reflects both the high ambitions of the AFC's Member Associations and their increasing confidence in their own capacities and capabilities" to host a high-level tournament. Qatar hosted and won the 2023 Asian Cup, retaining their title with a 3-1 win over Jordan in the final. That tournament broke spectatorship attendance records and also achieved 7.9 billion digital impressions. The event reached an unprecedented global audience, with 60 broadcasters covering tournament in over 160 countries. 'The AFC Asian Cup is undoubtedly one of the greatest success stories and the last edition in Qatar firmly cemented Asia's flagship as one of the best football competitions in the world," said Sheikh Salman. The UAE has twice before hosted Asia's premier international football competition – in 1996 and 2019. The next edition of the tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2027. The winning 2031 bid expected to be confirmed at the AFC Congress in 2026.