India was among seven possible bidders wanting to host the 2031 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said on Friday, as its top official hailed the highest expression of interest in the tournament’s history.
The other federations registering interest were Australia, Indonesia, Kuwait, South Korea – which has never hosted the tournament launched in 1956 – United Arab Emirates and a joint project between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Officials said a decision on hosting the 24-team tournament was scheduled for next year at its annual congress.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president, said the last event in Qatar had proved the cup was “undoubtedly one of the greatest success stories” and cemented it as “one of the best football competitions in the world”.
“The record number of bids that we have received is further testament to the stature and appeal of the AFC Asian Cup and on behalf of the AFC Executive Committee, I would like to put on record our sincere appreciation to all our member associations for outlining their ambition to extend and expand on our proud legacy,” he added.
Australia hosted and won the Asian Cup in 2015. The UAE hosted in 2019, starting a run of three straight editions in the Gulf. Qatar hosted the most recent edition and Saudi Arabia has the 2027 Asian Cup, where Qatar will be the two-time defending champions.
