The final tournament saw 16 teams, with host nation China among them, earn their spots. Additionally, the next highest-ranked team will enter the Inter-confederation play-off tournament. The AFC’s top four teams will represent the continent at the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, alongside Uzbekistan, which secured automatic qualification as a co-host.
Japan hosted the 1992 AFC Asian Cup, which was reduced to eight teams and two groups, where it emerged victorious after beating Saudi Arabia, then-defending champions, 1–0, to win the country’s first major international honour. Until the 1990s, Japan was mostly a small name in Asian football, and the country only qualified for the 1988 edition, the first time Japan took part in a continental football tournament. Both tournaments were Saudi Arabia’s debuts in any major competitions. Saudi Arabia, after an initial poor start, began to emerge as the country qualified, then won two consecutive Asian trophies in 1984 and 1988, overcoming both China and South Korea. The tournament became the preserve of Iran who won three consecutive tournaments in 1968, 1972 and 1976, with Iran hosting the former and the latter. The qualifying process involved the hosts plus the winners of the various zones (Central, Eastern and Western).
The tournament will be an important preparation opportunity ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, which will also be played in the ODI format. The third roundnote 1 of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played from 25 March 2025 to 4 June 2026. On 3 December 2025, the AFC announced that China will host the tournament for the second consecutive time after hosting it in 2025. Forty-six FIFA-affiliated nations are eligible to enter the joint qualification process for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup; Northern Mariana Islands, which is not a FIFA member, would have entered through the play-off round. Eighteen nations have qualified, including Saudi Arabia as the host nation, with six more spots to be decided through qualifiers. With 18 nations already qualified—including Saudi Arabia (host), Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Iran, Qatar, UAE, and others—the event will strengthen football’s profile in Asia.
Venues
Since 2019, no third-place playoff has been held, and from 2023 onward, the AFC has ranked losing semifinalists based on their semi-final goal difference. The first four editions featured only four to five teams, contested in a single round-robin format. With four teams per group, each side plays three matches, advancing the group winners and runners-up, plus the four best third-placed teams, to the knockout phase. Mirroring the format of the prior two tournaments, this edition featured just four teams competing in a single group to determine the champion. This is the premier continental competition, and Sportsgambler.com offers qualifying fixtures to track teams battling for a final spot.
Starting from the 2019 tournament, the number of teams grew from 16 to 24, integrating the qualifying the route to the final process into FIFA World Cup selection. The victorious team earns the title of Asian champions and, prior to 2015, secured a spot in the FIFA Confederations Cup. You can browse the latest updates to identify which teams are poised to face Asia’s top contenders, staying informed ahead of the upcoming matches. For Asian Cup results, this platform delivers live scores for every football match as soon as play concludes. Exploring soccer fixtures and qualifiers helps predict outcomes for each group stage clash.
As of September 2026, no ticket sales have begun, and no pricing details have been released. The Eastern Province’s Al Khobar will host matches at the newly built 45,000-capacity Aramco Stadium. The capital will stage five matches, anchored by the 72,000-seat King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the venue for the tournament opener. Across three cities, eight stadiums will host the tournament’s games.
The fixtures will help you understand when games are taking place between the big Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia and China, with the dates and the kick-off times outlined on our site. This is a football competition which takes place every four years and it’s important to access the Asian Cup fixtures, whether that’s for the final tournament or the qualifying games which take place in the lead-up to the big competition. Asia Cup 2027 is expected to be played across Bangladesh’s top cricket stadiums, with each venue set to host key matches during the tournament. Matches are played at eight stadiums across three cities — Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar. Tensions between the two Koreas during qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup led North Korea to withdraw from hosting the South Korean team and refusing to display the South Korean flag and play their national anthem.
Saudi Arabia — the country’s first time hosting the tournament — at eight stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar. Direct entryTeams that reached the third round of Asian World Cup 2026 qualifying were already qualified for the Asian Cup. Keep up to date with the latest Asian Cup 2027 score, results, standings and fixtures. On 10 February 2024, the AFC announced that the tournament in Qatar had surpassed the previous total attendance record of 1.04 million set during the 2004 tournament in China, with a new record of 1.06 million. Following the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, Saudi Arabia refused to play against Iran and even threatened to withdraw, afterwards blowing over onto international level. The 2000 AFC Asian Cup saw Lebanon take part in its first Asian tournament, and it was Saudi Arabia who again reached the final, but this time, Japan triumphed over Saudi Arabia 1–0 in a final filled with a majority of Saudi supporters.
Iran continues its streak of appearances, dating back to 1968, while Singapore earned its first-ever qualification through merit. Both the tournament opener and final will be played at Riyadh’s King Fahd Sports City Stadium, making the capital the site for the first and last matches. The distribution of fixtures across the three host cities ensures logistical clarity for organizers and fan travel arrangements. The AFC has finalized the match schedule for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, setting the tournament dates from January 7 to February 5, 2027.
Watching the tournament from Bangladesh
A total of 16 teams will play in the tournament. Afc asian cup 2027 afc asian cup groups afc asian cup teams asian football asian group asian teams Football – Articles and Posts football news soccer soccer news Their meeting could have a major effect on the knockout bracket, especially if one of the favourites finishes second rather than first. The six third-placed teams are then compared, with the four best third-placed sides also qualifying. The teams hosting the qualification groups are also allocated to an additional “Hosts Pot”, to ensure they are drawn into different groups.
Eight stadiums across three host cities—Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar—will host matches, with each city anchored by a main stadium. The tournament will take place from January 7 to February 5, 2027, as announced by the AFC and the local organizing committee via the Saudi Press Agency. The use of upgraded and new stadiums reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern infrastructure, which also aligns with goals to boost tourism and international cooperation. This announcement builds on the Kingdom’s successful organization of major events, including the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, the Spanish and Italian Super Cups, and upcoming events like Formula 1 and the Dakar Rally.
ACC Leadership and the 2027 Tournament
Most fans can buy a tourist eVisa online at visa.visitsaudi.com, including citizens of the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia. As of September 2026, no on-sale date or prices have been announced. Book early around match days, because fans will fill the popular slots. Riyadh and Jeddah are major hubs with direct flights from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Only the group winners of each group qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, where they joined the 18 teams which qualified directly from the second round. The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. One team advanced to the inter-confederation play-off tournament.
Inspired by a vision to energize future footballers and fans, the tournament’s bold visual identity embodies Saudi Arabia’s dynamic culture and the unifying spirit of Asian football. Capacity details and the complete venue list are available on the stadiums page. The AFC’s schedule assigns every match to one of eight stadiums; venue assignments will be updated here once cross-checked against the official match-by-match list, preventing premature publication. Saudi Arabia is hosting the Asian Cup for the first time, despite previously winning it three times (1984, 1988, 1996) and losing the 2000 and 2007 finals.
