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Arab Times
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait's bid to host the 2031 Asian Cup gains traction with the AFC President's visit
KUALA LUMPUR, April 12, (KUNA): Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yusuf Al-Sabah, President of the Kuwait Football Association, has extended an invitation to Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to visit Kuwait in connection with ongoing discussions about Kuwait's bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2031. In a statement released by the Kuwait Football Association following a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Sheikh Ahmad revealed that Sheikh Salman has accepted the invitation and is expected to visit Kuwait soon, coinciding with the arrival of AFC representatives to assess the country's readiness for hosting. Sheikh Ahmad expressed his pleasure at Sheikh Salman's acknowledgment of Kuwait's strong commitment to the bid, highlighting that the meeting was productive and conducted in a positive atmosphere. The meeting was attended by several key figures, including Kuwait's Ambassador to Malaysia, Rashid Mohammed Al-Saleh, Deputy Chairman of the Kuwait Football Association for Technical Affairs, Osama Hussein, and board member Dr. Ahmad Ajab. Also present was Engineer Sarah Al-Fulaith, Acting Deputy Director of the Public Authority for Sport for Facilities and Maintenance, who provided a detailed presentation on Kuwait's sports infrastructure and future development plans. The AFC previously announced that it had received seven official bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2031, including Kuwait's bid. This demonstrates the tournament's growing stature and the confidence of national associations in their ability to host the event to international standards. Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), praised Kuwait for joining six other countries in competing to host the AFC Asian Cup 2031, highlighting the growing significance of the continental championship. During his remarks at the AFC Executive Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, held ahead of the AFC Congress, Sheikh Salman acknowledged the "letters of interest" received by the AFC secretariat by the March 31, 2025 deadline. These letters were submitted by Kuwait, Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, the UAE, and a joint bid from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Sheikh Salman noted that this record number of bids underscores the increasing importance of the AFC Asian Cup, drawing a comparison to the Qatar-hosted tournament, which attracted record-breaking fan attendance. He also confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, with the host country for the 2031 edition to be announced at the AFC Congress in 2026 following a thorough assessment of all bids.
The National
11-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
UAE up against six other bids to host 2031 AFC Asian Cup
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.
