Kuala Lumpur: Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and First Vice President of FIFA, chaired the sixth Executive Committee meeting on the sidelines of the 35th AFC Congress in Malaysia. Shaikh Salman commended the record number of bids submitted to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup, noting that receiving seven expressions of interest highlights the tournament's prestigious status as the most important national team competition in Asia.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the AFC issued a call on November 27, 2024, to all member national associations to express their interest in hosting the upcoming edition of the continental tournament, with the deadline set for March 31. The AFC received official responses from several associations: the Football Federation Australia, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the Korea Football Association (KFA), the Kuwait Football Association, the UAE Football Association (UAEFA), and a joint bid from the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic (KFU), the Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF), and the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA).
Shaikh Salman emphasized that the AFC Asian Cup is one of the AFC's greatest success stories. The recent edition hosted by Qatar further solidified the tournament's status as one of the best continental competitions in the world. The record number of hosting bids reflects the tournament's increasing prestige and appeal. The 18th edition hosted by Qatar set record numbers in attendance and digital engagement, with 7.9 billion impressions, reaching a global audience across more than 60 broadcasters in over 160 countries and regions.
With Saudi Arabia confirmed as the host for the next edition in 2027, the country that will host the 2031 edition is expected to build on this legacy and enhance the status of the continental tournament. Shaikh Salman underscored that hosting the tournament brings tangible and intangible benefits, including infrastructure development, strengthening community bonds, gaining organizational experience, improving the technical level of the game, and establishing the host country as a global sports hub.
In the next phase, the AFC will work with the national associations that have submitted hosting bids to complete the required documents according to the approved timeline, with a workshop dedicated to the bidding process scheduled for later this April. Subsequently, the AFC administration will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the submitted bids, ahead of selecting the host country for the tournament, which will feature 24 national teams, through a vote by the General Assembly in 2026.
During the meeting, the Executive Committee approved the decisions of all the standing committees, including the AFC Asian Cup Organising Committee, the Finance Committee, the Competitions Committee, and the Professional Football Committee.