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AFC confirm India amongst six bidders to host 2031 Asian Cup, try to host premier continental tournament for first time
Despite failing to qualify for the 2027 edition of the tournament and at a recent nadir in its stature, Indian football seeks a boost via hosting rights.
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The Asian Football Confederation confirmed this week that India are amongst five bidders for the right to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup, the continent’s premier international football competition.
In a statement released this week, the AFC indicated that the All-India Football Federation joins the bids made by the footballing governing boards of Indonesia, Kuwait, South Korea, and Australia, while the sixth bid is a joint effort between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
India have never hosted an AFC Asian Cup before, with the Middle East having dominated host nation billings in recent years. The 2023 edition of the tournament was held in Qatar, when the Indian team reached the group stages, while the 2027 edition will be held in Saudi Arabia in the lead-up to their hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
This therefore makes clear the importance of hosting the Asian Cup as a sign of a country’s stature on the international stage; with football in India currently under plenty of pressure and in a state of turmoil, the 2031 hosting rights would help provide a common goal for various interested parties to work towards.
Bidding members for 2035 also announced
AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa spoke to the AFC Congress and drafted a resolution to have the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the tournament announced at the same meeting later this year; for the 2035 tournament, several of the 2031 bidders remain in the scheme of things as Bidding Member Associations, including Australia, Korea, and Kuwait, the the Japanese Football Association also tossing their name in the ring.
India were amongst the teams interested in potentially hosting the 2023 or 2027 editions, but withdrew their names after AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey previously expressed that hosting a major tournament was not on the federation’s short term radar.
However, with eyes on Ahmedabad potentially hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics as India’s first foray into major global sport, the 2031 tournament could act as a foregrounding for any such bid.
Denoting interest serves only as the first step for the AIFF, who must now provide bidding documentation to the AFC – which will include timelines of evaluation, regulation, and preparation. This will require a concerted effort towards making several venues across the country ready to welcome international fans for the showpiece event.
