Football Australia Monitors 2027 Asian Cup Risk After 14 Killed in Riyadh Airport Attacks
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Oct 13
Football Australia Monitors 2027 Asian Cup Risk After 14 Killed in Riyadh Airport Attacks
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Oct 13
Summary
Football Australia said security teams are actively reassessing plans for the Jan. 7 Asian Cup after weekend strikes on Riyadh's airport deepened doubts over Saudi Arabia's readiness to host.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport, which is closed until Oct. 17, while Etihad and Qatar Airways have postponed Riyadh flights.
The AFC has not said whether it has contingency plans; relocation appears unlikely at short notice, but a 12-month delay to January 2028 is seen as a more plausible fallback.
That would ripple beyond the tournament, potentially affecting coach Tony Popovic's contract, 23 visiting national teams and other fixtures, with South Korea already reviewing scenarios for a November friendly in Saudi Arabia.
The security escalation is also drawing wider scrutiny because Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, after other events including Jeddah's F1 Grand Prix and a planned WRC round were already dropped.