GENEVA (AP) – Asia’s soccer body has canceled its bid to host the men’s Asian Cup in 2031 and 2035, telling its member federations on Thursday that FIFA has asked them to move the tournament to even-numbered years.
The letter to Asian Football Confederation members, seen by The Associated Press, arrived just six weeks later. Announce a list of interested candidatesAustralia, Kuwait and South Korea each wanted to host one of the tournaments. Japan wanted the 2035 version.
According to the letter, FIFA recently informed Asian soccer leaders of its plans to change the international fixtures calendar, with the world body saying it wants the AFC to hold major men’s competitions in even-numbered years.
The AFC told its member federations that it had agreed to comply with FIFA’s request “after careful consideration” and that the Asian Cup would likely be postponed to 2032 and 2036, the same dates as the UEFA European Championship and Copa America.
FIFA has been contacted for comment.
The AFC said bids for the 2031 and 2035 tournaments are “absolutely discontinued”.
The calendar maintained by FIFA sets the dates of national team matches and current matches many years in advance. Calendar continues until 2030. This includes the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia from January 5.
FIFA’s calendar also determines when clubs around the world must release players to their national teams for qualifying, finals and friendlies.
FIFA has been widely criticized in recent years for not doing enough consultation on changes to the calendar, and the European Union in Brussels is considering changes. formal complaint From the players association and domestic leagues.
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