Asian Football Confederation postpones the 2027 Asian Cup because of conflict in the Middle East

SEOUL — The 2027 Asian Cup soccer tournament has been delayed almost a year in the wake of recent deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia, becoming the biggest sports event to be postponed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement Tuesday saying that after extensive consultations with Saudi organizers it had decided to push the start of its marquee continental championship back from Jan. 7 to Dec. 23. Local organizers agreed to reschedule in “circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions,” the AFC said. “Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organization and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled, making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders.” The new dates — Dec. 23, 2027 to Jan. 21, 2028 — will be submitted to FIFA for approval. The monthlong tournament was scheduled to feature 24 teams playing matches in eight venues across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar. Iran qualified and has been grouped with Syria, China and Kyrgyzstan for the league stage. The Saudis, Australia, South Korea and Japan were top seeds in other groups. The AFC's announcement ended months of speculation about a postponement...