In 2023 Asian Cup, China moved to Qatar

"On behalf of the AFC and the Asian Football family, I would like to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on winning the right to host the Asian Cup," announced AFC President Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the 11th AFC Executive Committee held in Kuala Lumpur on October 17. Qatar will host the Asian Cup, the highest level of men's football in Asia, for the third time in 2023 after hosting the tournament in 1988 and 2011.

Qatar, South Korea and Indonesia had all submitted bids to host the tournament, with Qatar and South Korea widely favored. With the World Cup coming up in Qatar, venues, transport and services can all be seamlessly linked to the next big event. The Korean Football Association is supported by many domestic parties and has better hardware facilities.

The final result of the AFC executive committee vote was Qatar. It means Qatar will host the World Cup and the Asian Cup more than a year apart for the first time in history.

The AFC Executive Committee also confirmed that the final bidders for the 2027 Asian Cup are the Indian Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Association. The award of the 2027 Asian Cup will be announced at the AFC executive committee in February, the AFC said.

That means the 10 football stadiums China built to host the 2023 Asian Cup will not be available.

The silver lining, however, is Qatar's soccer stadiums, several of which were also designed or built in China.