Saudi Arabia the only bidder for 2027 Asian Cup after India withdraws bid

Saudi Arabia is now the only candidate to host the 2027 Asian Cup after India's soccer federation withdrew its bid on Monday."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.Following the withdrawal of the AIFF bid, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) bid to host the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup in 2027 will now be the only one presented to the 33rd AFC Congress for consideration.Saudi Arabia has never hosted the Asian Cup, which it has won three times since the inaugural event in 1956.Saudi Arabia continues its endeavor to host sporting events, as it submitted an official bid a few days ago to the Asian Football Confederation to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026, in addition to major sporting events such as golf tournaments, Formula 1, and European football matches.In October, it has been chosen to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029 in the futuristic city Neom, and the 2034 Asian Games.Qatar has won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals in UAE against Japan, which is the most successful team in the tournament with four titles, while Saudi Arabia and Iran both have three titles.