KUALA LUMPUR: The draw for the 2027 Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia next month, Asian football officials said on Wednesday, after being postponed when the Middle East war broke out.

The draw was supposed to take place on April 11 in Riyadh, but the event was moved “to ensure the full participation of all key stakeholders and participating member associations”, the Asian Football Confederation said.

It will now be held on May 9 at the At-Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kuala Lumpur-based federation said.

The 19th edition of the Asian Cup is scheduled to take place from Jan 7 to Feb 5 next year, and 23 out of 24 participating nations have been confirmed.

The final berth is to be decided with a Group ‘B’ tie between Lebanon and Yemen rescheduled to June 4, the AFC said.

Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar are the host cities. The 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026