The Vietnamese national team is one of the 24 teams participating in the 2027 Asian Cup - Photo: AFC
According to the original plan, the AFC was to hold the draw for the 2027 Asian Cup group stage on April 11th in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). However, due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the AFC has decided to postpone the draw to a more suitable time.
"The decision was made after careful consideration, to ensure that all stakeholders can participate smoothly and without disruption," the AFC statement read.
The AFC has not yet announced a new date for the draw.
The 2027 Asian Cup will feature 24 teams and will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7th to February 5th. Currently, 21 out of 13 participating teams have been confirmed. Vietnam is the latest team to qualify for the tournament in Saudi Arabia, after Malaysia was deducted 6 points for violating player naturalization regulations.
Before Vietnam, there were 20 teams, including 18 that automatically qualified after advancing through the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region. These teams are: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar, UAE, Japan, South Korea, Oman, Palestine, Bahrain, Jordan, China, Indonesia, North Korea, Kuwait, and Kyrgyzstan.
The remaining two teams are Singapore and Syria – these are the teams that finished first in their respective groups in the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup (the round for teams that did not qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup).
Three more spots in the 2027 Asian Cup will be determined after the final round of qualifying matches at the end of March. The Philippines will compete against Tajikistan, while Yemen and Lebanon will be direct rivals. Thailand and Turkmenistan are the remaining contenders for the spot.
Thus, Southeast Asia now has three representatives at the 2027 Asian Cup: Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia. This number could increase to five if the Philippines and Thailand qualify.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doi-thoi-gian-boc-tham-asian-cup-2027-2026032616582793.htm
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