The Asian Football Confederation has set May 9 as the new date for the draw ceremony for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia.
The draw ceremony was scheduled to take place on April 11 in the Saudi capital, but the date was postponed due to the conflict in the Middle East, in order to ensure the attendance and participation of all relevant national federations and partners.
The Asian Football Confederation explained at the time that the decision was made "in order to ensure that the celebration is presented in a manner befitting the status of the biggest tournament in the Asian continent."
With 23 out of 24 teams qualifying for the finals, a draw will be held to distribute the teams into six groups, each containing four teams, in preparation for determining the course of the competitions that Saudi Arabia will host for the first time in its history during the period from January 7 to February 5, 2027.
The final spot in the tournament will be decided on June 4th, through a decisive match between the Lebanese and Yemeni national teams to determine the last qualifier for the finals within the second group of the qualifiers.
The Asian Football Confederation expressed its deep appreciation to the local organizing committee for the Asian Cup "Saudi Arabia 2027" and to the Asian football family in general, for their cooperation and understanding during the past period, stressing that the details regarding the timing of the draw ceremony will be announced later through the official channels of the continental federation.
