The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has extended the deadline from June 30 to July 15 to submit expressions of interest for the hosting rights to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, their showcase tournament.
Member associations can submit expressions of interest for the hosting rights to the event, as the original host country China had to forego their duties due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) intends to bid on hosting the tournament, as South Korean president Lee Young-pyo has directed the KFA to secure hosting rights.
South Korea could face competition from Australia, among other countries. Football Australia, which hosted back in 2015, is considering another bid to bring the tournament Down Under.
A spokesperson for Football Australia told Reuters, “We are having discussions with the AFC and government as we determine the process and interest.”
Wherever the tournament is played, the AFC could suffer heavy financial losses as China is a major commercial rights market for the AFC. Having the tournament in Japan or South Korea could help mitigate some of the losses, but both countries have expressed concerns over the compressed timeline of hosting a major tournament next year.
Qatar, which is hosting the FIFA World Cup in a few months might be a logical choice, and indeed have been mentioned as a possible solution, but the tournament could not be held in June or July of 2023 as temperatures in Qatar would be dangerously hot.
Traditionally the AFC likes to rotate host countries between East Asian and West Asian countries. The United Arab Emirates hosted in 2019, so it would seem likely an East Asian country would host next year with Qatar or possibly Saudi Arabia hosting in 2027.
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