Latest News

Back to Latest News back

 

Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and Qatar express interest in hosting 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and Qatar express interest in hosting 2023 AFC Asian Cup
July 19, 2022

The Asian Football Confederation has advised that it has received expressions of interest from foru nations - Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and Qatar - to host next year’s Asian Cup, which had originally been due to take place in China.

Following China having relinquished its hosting rights for the 2023 tournament in May, the AFC invited all member associations to express their interest in hosting its flagship men’s national team tournament, and four countries have put their names forward.

The bidding regulations were distributed to member associations in the middle of last month, and the four countries have until 31st August to submit their bid documents.

The AFC will then evaluate the bids and announce the host nation on 17th October.

Amid a decade of hosting a series of major international events leading up to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, Australia is already due to co-host next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with New Zealand. That tournament is due to begin on 20th July, with the Asian Cup likely to be staged later in the year if Football Australia is successful in its bid to host the event.

Australia hosted the AFC Asian Cup as recently as 2015.

Qatar, which last hosted the Asian Cup in 2011. is due to host the men’s FIFA World Cup in November and December this year.

South Korea won the inaugural Asian Cup in 1956 and retained the trophy as hosts four years later - the only time they staged the finals. While the country has not staged a major football tournament since co-hosting the World Cup with Japan in 2002, it did express an interest in hosting the 2023 edition before withdrawing.

Indonesia, which co-hosted the tournament in 2007, successfully staged the Asian Games in 2018 after which it was speculated that it might submit a bid to host a future Olympics.

However, it did not compete at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup due to a ban by world football governing body FIFA over administration and corruption issues in the game.

China gave up hosting rights to the 2023 Asian Cup in May amid the continued challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The competition had been scheduled for next July but the Chinese Football Association informed the AFC that they would not be in a position to host.

The Asian Games multi-sport event, which had been scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in September, was also postponed due to the pandemic situation in the country.

Commenting on Australia’s potential hosting, a Football Australia spokesperson advised “our preference would be to host in February 2024 so we are not clashing with the FIFA WWC 2023.

"We are liaising with governments at all levels to gauge interest levels before contemplating a bid, as any events of this stature require significant government funding and support."

Australia hosting multiple World Cup events, the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2032 Olympics is the subject of a feature in Australasian Leisure Management issue 150.

Image: The Socceroos lift the AFC Asian Cup in 2015. Credit: VenuesLive.

About the author

Nigel Benton

Co-founder/Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management

Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia and New Zealand’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry. Having established the magazine in 1997, shortly after his relocation to Australia, he has managed its readership rising to over 11,500 and its acceptance as the industry journal for professionals in aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues.

In 2020, he launched the new Asian Leisure Business website.

Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.

Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.

Read more from this author

Related Articles

15th July 2022 - FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 to have Indigenous tone

8th July 2022 - Men’s FIFA World Cup stadiums in Qatar could be alcohol-free

6th July 2022 - Dates locked in for Victoria’s 2026 Commonwealth Games

28th June 2022 - Carbon Market Watch analysis questions 2022 Qatar World Cup carbon-neutral claim

30th May 2022 - Empty Stadiums a sign of China’s fading football dream

16th May 2022 - Covid-hit China relinquishes hosting rights for 2023 AFC Asian Cup

13th May 2022 - Australia secures Rugby World Cup 2027 and 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup

6th May 2022 - OCA announces postponement of Hangzhou’s Asian Games

10th April 2022 - Queensland Premier names independent directors to Brisbane Olympics Organising Committee Board

31st March 2022 - Tickets on sale for FIBA Women‘s World Cup in Sydney

16th March 2022 - MotoGP set to welcome Indonesia’s largest post-COVID crowd

19th January 2022 - FIFA announce Qatar 2022 World Cup tickets now on sale

16th October 2021 - Indonesia’s 20th National Sports Week successfully held in Papua Province for first time

11th May 2021 - World eSports League unveiled in South Korea

11th May 2021 - AFC Cup matches scheduled for Maldives hub postponed ‘until further notice’

26th January 2021 - AFC to stage 2021 club competitions at centralised locations

5th May 2020 - Baseball leads the restart of South Korean sport

1st May 2020 - China looks to FIFA World Cup hosting with new football stadia

6th June 2019 - China named 2023 AFC Asian Cup hosts

20th May 2019 - China set to host 2023 AFC Asian Cup after South Korea withdrawl

2nd September 2018 - Indonesia to bid for 2032 Olympics

22nd March 2018 - Indonesian officials confident on 2018 Asian Games preparations

19th March 2016 - Football Association of Indonesia President accused of misappropriating Government funds