Saudi Arabia will host the 2027 tournament from January 7 to February 5, competing against Palestine, Kuwait and Oman.
Published May 10, 2026
Four-time champions Japan have been placed in the same group as defending champions Qatar in the Asian Cup 2027 soccer tournament.
Saudi Arabia will host the 24-team tournament for the first time from January 7th to February 5th.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hopes the tournament will go ahead without further disruption after the draw was postponed due to the US-Israel war against Iran.
The draw was originally scheduled for April 11th, but was postponed to May 9th. The final is still incomplete, as the match between Lebanon and Yemen scheduled for March 31st was not played as scheduled and was postponed to June.
In Group F, Japan will face 2019 and 2023 champions Qatar, as well as Indonesia and Thailand.
Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said, “Japan has always been one of the leaders in Asian football.” “We have to believe in ourselves because they have quality players.”
Saudi Arabia, which is also the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, will face Kuwait, Oman and Palestine in the West Asia group, aiming to win the title for the first time since 1996.
Giorgio Donis, who replaced Hervé Renard as Saudi Arabia’s coach in April, said: “If we play in the Asian Cup with our country, we will be ready to reach the final and win the title.”
Uzbekistan and Jordan are preparing for their first World Cup appearance in June, having been drawn alongside North Korea and Bahrain in Group B of the Asian Cup.
Iran faces Syria and China.
In Group D, Australia drew with former champions Iraq, led by former Socceroos manager Graham Arnold, Tajikistan, who qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1984, and Singapore.
South Korea has not won the tournament since 1960 and will face the winners of the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Lebanon vs. Yemen.
The top two teams in six groups of four advance to the Round of 16 along with the top four teams in third place.
