Football Australia is closely monitoring the fallout from air strikes on Riyadh's international airport as doubts grow over whether next January's Asian Cup will still take place in Saudi Arabia. Multiple attacks on King Khalid International Airport by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels over the weekend killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 300, according to Saudi officials. It is unclear whether the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has made contingency plans for the tournament, which is due to kick off on Jan. 7.
Football Australia stated that the safety and wellbeing of players, staff and supporters remains paramount, with its experienced security team actively monitoring developments and providing regular updates. Risk assessment is part of planning for every national team camp and will be a key focus for January preparations. Experts suggest it is unlikely the AFC would strip Saudi Arabia of hosting rights at short notice, but a more likely scenario is a 12-month postponement to January 2028 if the conflict persists.
Such a delay would affect several federations, including Australia, where Socceroos coach Tony Popovic's contract runs until the 2027 Asian Cup, leaving uncertainty about extension. Beau Busch of the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) emphasized player safety as the priority, noting continued monitoring through PFA and FIFPRO. FIFA is also watching closely, given Saudi Arabia's hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, with airlines Etihad and Qatar Airways postponing flights to Riyadh and the airport closed until Oct. 17.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing