The General Assembly of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today officially announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia won the bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 for the first time in its history, as Saudi Arabia has recently become a destination for the some of the most significant sporting events in the world. The 33rd General Assembly of the AFC, held in Bahrain in the presence of presidents of the continental federations, assigned the task of organizing the 19th edition of the Asian Cup to Saudi Arabia, which, through the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), applied for hosting the event in February 2020, with a slogan bearing a new vision for the future of Asian football: "Forward for Asia." Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympics and Paralympics Committee, extended his gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their unlimited support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027. For his part, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Yasser Al-Misehal praised the major support granted to the bid to host the sporting event, noting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aspires to host a distinguished tournament. Al-Misehal noted that the Kingdom's impressive bid succeeded in gaining the confidence of the Asian confederations through including the most important advantages and factors eligible for the success of the tournament and its unique character, where eight stadiums will host the tournament games. He indicated that the Kingdom seeks to make a qualitative shift in the tournament that was first launched in 1956 by holding a great tournament.
