The move follows a proposal by AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to submit both tournaments to a single congress for approval.
Salman argued that it provides long-term certainty around hosting rights, infrastructure planning and commercial alignment in the premier national team competition.
Football Australia, Japan, South Korea and Kuwait have all formally submitted bids for 2035.
Australia and Korea are also in the running for 2031.
The 2031 race is busier following the conclusion of last year’s bidding phase: Australia, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and Kuwait are joined by a joint Central Asian bid from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as the current supply bidders. The United Arab Emirates, which hosted the first of the expanded Asian Cups in 2019, an edition that marked a step change for the finals competition, has withdrawn.
India and Indonesia’s 2031 bids focus on the large-scale opportunities presented by their countries and strong government support, while Central Asia’s joint proposal reflects an increasing commitment to the AFC’s major events beyond traditional East and West Asian power bases.
In contrast, Australia and Korea offer reassuring predictability: established infrastructure, proven offerings, mature broadcast markets and proven commercial appeal to global sponsors.
Part of the AFC decision-making process will be the long-term commercial partners the bidders are likely to bring with them, and the potential to grow tournament revenue over multiple cycles. The AFC is currently in the process of tendering its commercial rights for the next cycle.
The Asian Cup has grown rapidly over the past two editions in the UAE and Qatar in 2023. These two editions were played on dates in January to avoid the heat of the Gulf summer. Qatar stepped in to host 2023 when China withdrew and the date was moved from summer 2022 to January 2023. The 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia will also take place in January.
Depending on the guest selection for 2031 and 2035, there could be the possibility of advancing to a summer final.
The AFC will now work with bidder member associations to coordinate formal documentation. That process includes detailed assessments of infrastructure readiness, government guarantees, commercial delivery and heritage planning.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at force.l1770231747laboratory1770231747ofdlr1770231747are1770231747sni@g1770231747it’s him.1770231747year1770231747
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