Saudi Arabia has joined Australia, Jordan and Uzbekistan as nations who have expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday as reported in Reuters.
Saudi Arabia submitted Expressions of Interest to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup in hopes of making the event its first official international women’s tournament.
“The AFC will now work with all Bidding Member Associations on the delivery of the necessary bidding documentation in accordance with the bidding process with a decision to be finalised and communicated in 2023,” the AFC said, according to Reuters.
The Kingdom is eying international games and exhibitions as its Vision 2030 economic and social reforms continue to gain traction and produce results at home.
In 2021, the New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia is seeking to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup in the Kingdom. The World Cup in 2022 will be played in Qatar, the first time the event has been played in the Middle East region.
Saudi Arabia also has submitted a bid to host the World’s Expo in 2030. Russia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia are finalists to win the right to host the event.
