SEOUL– The Asian football governing body announced Tuesday it has extended the deadline for bids to host its signature tournament, with South Korea in the race.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the deadline to receive expressions of interest for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup has been pushed back from Thursday to July 15.
The AFC issued an invitation for bids on May 31, following China’s withdrawal as the host due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Korea announced its bid on June 20. The Korea Football Association (KFA) has also begun accepting applications from cities interested in hosting Asian Cup matches.
Once the bidding process ends, the AFC Administration will submit its recommendations to the AFC Executive Committee, which will then select the new host.
Japan, Qatar, Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also reportedly interested.
The quadrennial AFC Asian Cup was first held in 1956, and South Korea hosted the 1960 tournament. Despite their long-standing status as one of Asia’s best teams, the Taeguk Warriors have only won two Asian Cups — in 1956 and 1960.
In 2019 in the UAE, South Korea lost to the eventual champions Qatar in the quarterfinals.
The 2023 tournament will feature 24 countries. The KFA said should an East Asian country win the bid, the tournament will likely take place in June 2023. But a West Asian country will likely hold it in January next year, considering the climate in the region.
The AFC has laid out stadium capacity requirements for the successful candidates. Matches through the quarterfinals must be played at stadiums with at least 20,000 seats. The semifinal matches must be hosted at venues with 40,000 or more seats. The opening match and the final match must be played at a stadium with at least 50,000 seats.
Source: Yonhap News Agency