The Indian Football Federation (AIFF) have announced its withdrawal from the race to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
“The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has been officially notified by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) of their decision to withdraw their bid from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 host selection process,” the AFC said in a statement.
According to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, that the hosting of such big events as in the air consistent with the priority strategies of the Football Federation of this country.
“At the moment, our goal is to build the foundation of the right football structure before thinking about organizing bigger events like the AFC Asian Cup ,” AIFF said in a statement.
“India has always been a great and effective host country for major tournaments, which was clearly demonstrated in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup world just ended.”
“However, we have decided that the current overall strategy of the League remains focused on the fundamental goals of strengthening our football at every level from grassroots to professional player development.” he added.
The Indian men’s football team has already qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar after topping Group D in the third round of qualifiers.
Saudi Arabia is the only country interested in hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia have won the continental title three times but have never hosted the tournament.
Initially, up to 5 countries expressed interest in hosting this tournament: Qatar, Uzbekistan, Iran, India and Saudi Arabia.
However, Qatar withdrew because it became the host of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and Uzbekistan and Iran were not targeted by the AFC.
The upcoming AFC congress will decide the final host in Manama, Bahrain, in February 2023.
