Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa suggested that the votes for hosting the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cups be held together after confirming a record seven nations had expressed interest in hosting the 2031 finals.

Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and a joint bid from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan informed the regional body of a desire to host the tournament before last month’s deadline.

“I’m delighted to report that the bidding process for the AFC Asian Cup 2031 has received a record level of interest with seven bidders signalling their intent,” Sheikh Salman told the AFC’s annual congress in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

“This remarkable response underscores the bright future of Asian football, and I express my sincere gratitude to all the member associations who have submitted their interest.”

India has never hosted the tournament, which started in Hong Kong in 1956, while South Korea, one of the continent’s strongest on-field performers, last organised the competition in 1960.

None of the Central Asian nations, who gained AFC membership in 1994 following the break up of the Soviet Union, have hosted the finals.

A date has yet to be set to decide the winning bid, and Sheikh Salman wants the confederation to consider also awarding the rights for the 2035 event at the same time.

“I have requested that the AFC administration explore the possibility of presenting both the bids for 2031 and 2035 editions for the approval at the same congress when the time comes,” he said. “This will provide the host member association a longer runway to ensure that we continue to elevate our standards.”

The 24-team Asian Cup is held every four years, with the next edition to be played in Saudi Arabia in 2027.

Qatar hosted the most recent tournament in early 2024, six months later than originally scheduled, due to China’s withdrawal as organisers.

(Reuters)