Asian Cup postponed in wake of attacks on Saudi Arabia

The 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia has been postponed because of a series of deadly attacks on the host country.

The 24-team tournament was scheduled to take place from 7 January to 5 February but has been rescheduled to run from 23 December, 2027 to 21 January, 2028.

In October, a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi movement on Riyadh's airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.

A statement from the the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), external said the decision to reschedule had been taken "in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions".

It added: "The new dates of the tournament will be presented to Fifa for approval."

The Saudi Pro League has postponed this week's round of fixtures following the rescheduling of the Asian Cup.

It says the rescheduling creates "additional flexibility" in the calendar to allow for a "more balanced distribution of fixtures" across the rest of the season.

A number of events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled recently, including the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition event, which was scheduled to be in Riyadh.

The Asian Tour has also indefinitely postponed it's season-ending golf tournament, which was scheduled to take place from 18-21 November.