The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Monday that Qatar will host the Asian Cup 2023 in place of the tournament's original hosts, China.
Qatar became the new host after beating off competition from South Korea and Indonesia.
The announcement came after China withdrew earlier this year because of its 'zero-Covid' policy.
"The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee on Monday confirmed that the Qatar Football Association (QFA) is the host association for the AFC Asian Cup 2023," AFC said in a statement.
The continental championships were awarded to China in 2019 but the Asian country relinquished the rights earlier this year as it pursued a zero-COVID policy. The competition was scheduled to take place in 10 Chinese cities between June 16 and July 16 of the next year.
"Chairing the 11th AFC Executive Committee meeting, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated the QFA on their successful bid and also conveyed the appreciation of the Asian football family to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Korea Football Association (KFA) for their commendable proposals," the statement further read.
"On behalf of the AFC and the Asian football family, I want to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on being awarded the hosting rights of the upcoming edition of the AFC Asian Cup. We must also thank the Football Association of Indonesia and the Korea Football Association for outlining their intentions to stage the tournament. Qatar's capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe. I must also commend the AFC for showcasing utmost professionalism in conducting a fair and transparent expedited bidding process and I thank all our commercial partners and sponsors for their patience during these unprecedented times," AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in an official statement released by AFC.
"Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia's crown jewel," he further added.
Qatar are the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions and will be hosting the continent's most prestigious men's tournament for the third time after staging the 1988 and 2011 editions.
"The AFC Executive Committee also deliberated upon the bidding proposals for the AFC Asian Cup 2027™ and shortlisted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) as the final two bidders with the hosting decision to be taken by the AFC Congress at its next meeting in February 2023," the statement further read.
The decision brings to a close the bid proposal of the QFA who were considered to have withdrawn from the 2027 race following their successful 2023 bid in accordance with the applicable bidding regulations.
Australia withdrew from the AFC Asian Cup 2023 bidding process on September 1, 2022, while the Uzbekistan Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran officially withdrew their bids to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 on December 14, 2020, and October 13, 2022, respectively.
( With inputs from ANI )
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