2027 AFC Asian Cup date…ranking of teams and broadcast channels

Know the 2027 AFC Asian Cup date in Saudi Arabia, 24 team rankings, broadcast channels and date of Saudi Arabia’s opening match in Riyadh.

The Asian continent is gearing up for the event in the Saudi city of Diriya, where the draw for the finals of the 2027 Asian Cup will take place, which the kingdom is hosting for the first time in its history.

The 2027 Asian Cup will be held in its nineteenth edition from 7 January to 5 February 2027 with the participation of 24 teams, organized by the Asian Football Confederation, after adopting an expanded tournament system since 2019.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the tournament for the first time in many years as it seeks to present a unique version of Asia’s biggest continental event at national team level, given the kingdom’s vast development of sports infrastructure.

The tournament sees the return of the Asian Cup to its usual system of being held every four years, after the 2023 edition was pushed back to 2024 due to an apology from China to host, in addition to the climate related to hosting the tournament in Qatar in the summer.

The 2027 edition could be the last to be held in an odd-numbered year as the AFC explores the possibility of moving the tournament to even-numbered years in the future in line with possible changes to the international fixture calendar.

The Qatari national team enter the tournament as defending champions in their last two games after winning the 2019 and 2023 Asian Cups, continuing their dominance on the continent in recent years.

Below we bring you the 2027 Asian Cup date and everything you need to know.

When will the Asian Cup 2027 draw take place?

The Asian Football Confederation has officially announced that the final draw for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup will take place next Saturday, May 9, 2026.

The celebration will take place at the Salwa Palace in the historic Al-Turaif district of the Saudi city of Diriya at exactly nine o’clock in the evening Saudi Arabia time and ten o’clock in the evening UAE time.

 

Event	The appointment	The place
2027 Asian Cup draw	Saturday, May 9, 2026 21:00 Saudi Arabia, 22:00 UAE	Diriyah, Saudi Arabia

 

Which channels are telecasting the 2027 Asian Cup?

It was decided to broadcast the 2027 Asian Cup on the beIN Sports channel network, in particular, on the open news channel.

Event	Transmission channels
2027 Asian Cup draw	beIN Sports: TOD TV:

What is the system for the 2027 Asian Cup?

The 24 teams are divided into 6 groups, each group containing 4 teams, one team from each tier. 23 teams have already taken their places after three years of marathon qualification. The final draw between the two Arab teams, Lebanon and Yemen, remains pending as they meet on June 4, 2026 to decide the identity of the last qualifiers for the finals.

The nineteenth edition of the continental championship is a historic event for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it is the first time its stadiums are hosting this football event. Saudi fans will be rooting for the Green Hawks to use the ground and the crowd to reclaim the title that has been missing from their coffers since 1996 and match Japan’s record four titles.

Which teams qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup?

23 teams have already decided their place in the 2027 Asian Cup, but the winner remains from the Lebanon-Yemen playoff next June.

 

The chosen ones	Eligibility Date
Saudi Arabia	February 1, 2023
Australia	March 26, 2024
Iraq	March 26, 2024
Iran	March 26, 2024
Uzbekistan	March 26, 2024
Qatar	March 26, 2024
United Arab Emirates	March 26, 2024
Japan	March 30, 2024
South Korea	June 6, 2024
Oman	June 6, 2024
Palestine	June 6, 2024
Bahrain	June 6, 2024
Jordan	June 6, 2024
China	June 11, 2024
Indonesia	June 11, 2024
north korea	June 11, 2024
Kuwait	June 11, 2024
Kyrgyzstan	June 11, 2024
Syria	October 14, 2025
singapore	November 18, 2025
Vietnam	March 31, 2026
Thailand	March 31, 2026
Tajikistan	March 31, 2026
Lebanon\Yemen	June 4, 2026

 

 

What are the teams participating in the 2027 Asian Cup?

The continental confederation has confirmed the distribution of the participating teams into 4 levels, each of which includes 6 teams, according to the latest classification published by FIFA in April. The host team, Saudi Arabia, finished first to top the first group and open the championship competition in Riyadh.

 

First classification	Second classification	Third classification	Fourth classification
Saudi Arabia	Qatar	Bahrain	Kyrgyzstan
Japan	Iraq	Thailand	north korea
Iran	Jordan	China	Indonesia
South Korea	UAE	Palestine	Kuwait
Australia	Oman	Vietnam	singapore
Uzbekistan	Syria	Tajikistan	Lebanon/Yemen

 

Which cities and stadiums will host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup?

Three cities in Saudi Arabia are set to host the championship games: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar. Riyadh’s King Fahd Sports City Stadium will be the event’s largest theater, with up to 72,000 spectators, as it hosts the opening match on January 7, 2027. Eight more international stadiums have also been prepared organizationally and logistically to ensure the presentation of the exclusive edition.

The competition will continue for a full month, ending with the final match on February 5, 2027. This edition will see familiar faces as 20 of the current qualifying squads took part in the previous draw in Qatar, while North Korea and Kuwait will be back after various absences, while Singapore’s maiden qualifiers have achieved historic qualification.

City:	pitch	Capacity
Riyadh	King Fahd Sports City Stadium	70200
	King Saud University Stadium	26004
	Kingdom Arena	30000
	Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University Stadium	21000
	SHG Arena	13,537
grandmother	Development	62,345
	Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City	27000
the news	Aramco	46096

 

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