Asian Cup postponed after deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia

The 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia has been postponed following a series of deadly attacks on the host country, with the 24-team tournament shifted from its original January window to December 2027. The tournament had been scheduled to run from 7 January to 5 February but will now take place from 23 December 2027 to 21 January 2028. In a statement, the Asian Football Confederation said the decision was taken "in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions". The confederation added that the new dates will be presented to Fifa for approval. The postponement follows an October missile attack by Yemen's Houthi movement on Riyadh's airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. The Saudi Pro League has postponed this week's round of fixtures in response to the rescheduling. It said the change creates "additional flexibility" in the calendar to allow for a "more balanced distribution of fixtures" across the rest of the season. A number of other events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled recently, including the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition, which had been scheduled for Riyadh. The Asian Tour has also indefinitely postponed its season-ending golf tournament, which was due to take place from 18 to 21 November. This is the second successive Asian Cup to be postponed. The 2023 tournament was moved to 2024 and relocated from China to Qatar because of the Covid pandemic. The decision means a number of Premier League players will not have to miss part of the current season. Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki will be more available to his club this season as a result. Japan players who would have been expected to receive call-ups included Suzuki, Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Ipswich Town's Daizen Maeda, along with Leeds United's Ao Tanaka, Crystal Palace's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Daichi Kamada, and Hull City's Hidemasa Morita. Japan would have been one of the favourites for the tournament. Villa, who are in the Champions League, might have had to do without Suzuki for at least seven games had his country reached the final. Liverpool are also in the Champions League, although Endo has yet to play for the club this season. Others would also have expected international call-ups. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, currently injured but expected to return later this year, was likely to have been selected by Japan, while Manchester City's Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov and Hull City's Australia defender Lucas Herrington were also in line to feature at the tournament.