The Asian Football Confederation said on Monday that South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, and Qatar have submitted “Expressions of Interest” to take the place of China as hosts of the Asian Cup in 2019.
The AFC’s executive committee announced that the four organizations had until August 31 to submit their bid materials, and that the new host will be revealed on October 17.
The 24-team competition was supposed to be held in China in June and July of the following year, but it was moved as a result of the nation’s efforts to adhere to a zero-COVID-19 policy.
The only time South Korea hosted the finals, they also won the inaugural Asian Cup in 1956 and kept the trophy as hosts four years later. Since co-hosting the World Cup with Japan in 2002, the nation has not hosted a significant event.
As the co-hosts of the Women’s World Cup with New Zealand in 2023, Australia, the 2015 Asian Cup champion, already has a full schedule planned. The event begins on July 20 of the next year.
The Asian Cup may be moved to a later date in the calendar to avoid conflicting with the World Cup, Football Australia Chief Executive James Johnson stated earlier this month.
The 2018 Men’s World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. In 1988 and 2011, they hosted the Asian Cup twice, and in 2019 they took first place.
Indonesia, one of the four co-hosts of the 2007 Asian Cup, finished the competition by losing in the group stage, which was their best result.
