South Korea, Australia, Indonesia and Qatar have submitted ‘Expressions of Interest’ to exchange China as hosts of subsequent yr’s Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation stated on Monday.
The deadline for the 4 associations to submit their bid paperwork has been set for Aug. 31, and the AFC’s government committee will announce the brand new host on October 17, it stated.
China was as a result of host the 24-team occasion, scheduled for June and July subsequent yr, however the nation’s efforts to comply with a zero-COVID-19 coverage resulted in it being moved.
South Korea received the inaugural Asian Cup in 1956 and retained the trophy as hosts 4 years later – the one time they staged the finals. The nation has not staged a serious match since co-hosting the World Cup with Japan in 2002.
Australia, Asian Cup winners in 2015, already has a busy 2023 deliberate as co-hosts of the Women’s World Cup with New Zealand. That match begins on July 20 subsequent yr.
Football Australia chief government James Johnson stated earlier this month the governing physique had consulted with the AFC to think about transferring the Asian Cup to later within the calendar to keep away from a conflict with the World Cup.
Qatar will stage the boys’s World Cup this yr from November 21 to December 18. They have hosted the Asian Cup twice, in 1988 and 2011, and received the match in 2019.
Indonesia had been one among 4 co-hosts of 2007 Asian Cup and exited within the group stage – their finest end within the match.
Japan’s Football Association confirmed in May that they had been informally approached about the opportunity of changing China as hosts however technical director Yasuharu Sorimachi informed native media earlier this month there was little likelihood of it bidding.