Tajikistan’s football team planned to be “fully prepared” for the Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia in early 2027, coach Igor Angelovski of North Macedonia said months ago.
But the Tajik footballers and the rest of the competition will have to wait. On Tuesday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the region’s top football tournament, which had been scheduled for January 7 to February 5 next year, will instead take place from December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028.
Amid conflict in the Middle East, the Asian Cup’s organizing committee cited “the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions.”
It said the unusual situation had made postponement “necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders” and that the new dates of the tournament would be presented to world football’s governing body, FIFA, for approval.
Saudi Arabia has been caught up in the regional conflict this year, with some of its infrastructure, including Riyadh’s international airport, targeted in aerial attacks.
The Asian Cup postponement disrupts the preparations of national teams that have qualified, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan did not qualify for the Asian Cup, falling short in a critical loss to Thailand. Kazakhstan’s football federation transferred from the AFC to the Union of European Football Associations in 2002, and its national team participates in European competitions.
Tajikistan posted some strong results earlier this year, finishing at the top of Group A in the final round of qualifying for the Asian Cup.
The underdog Tajik team made an impressive run to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup that was played in Qatar in early 2024, in its debut at the tournament after past failed attempts to qualify.
