Asian Cup 2027
Twenty-four teams, eight stadiums, three cities, and a host nation that has won this trophy three times and never once at home. Saudi Arabia has never staged the Asian Cup before. In January 2027 it stages all of it, from an opening match in Riyadh to a final in the same stadium four weeks later.
The Six Groups
Drawn 9 May 2026 at Salwa Palace, At-Turaif, DiriyahListed in draw position, which the bracket slots resolve against. Played, won, drawn and points fill in from 7 January; until then every side reads zero.
Eight of the nine nations that have ever won this tournament are in the field, which is every living winner: the ninth, Israel, took the 1964 title and no longer competes in Asia. Group F holds the strongest pair in the draw, Japan with a record four titles and Qatar who have won the last two. Group B is the only group without a former champion in it. Yemen are here for only the second time in their history, having beaten Lebanon 2-0 in the play-off that settled the final place.
All 51 matches, 7 January to 5 February. Kick-off times have not been published. Knockout ties show draw slots until the groups are played.
Thursday, January 7, 2027
Friday, January 8, 2027
Saturday, January 9, 2027
Sunday, January 10, 2027
Monday, January 11, 2027
Tuesday, January 12, 2027
Wednesday, January 13, 2027
Thursday, January 14, 2027
Friday, January 15, 2027
Saturday, January 16, 2027
Sunday, January 17, 2027
Monday, January 18, 2027
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
Wednesday, January 20, 2027
Thursday, January 21, 2027
Friday, January 22, 2027
Saturday, January 23, 2027
Sunday, January 24, 2027
Thursday, January 28, 2027
Friday, January 29, 2027
Monday, February 1, 2027
Tuesday, February 2, 2027
Friday, February 5, 2027
The Road to King Fahd
Six groups of four. The top two in each group advance, plus the four best third-placed teams, giving a Round of 16 on 21 to 25 January. Quarter-finals follow on 28 and 29 January, semi-finals on 1 and 2 February, and the final on 5 February at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh, the same ground that opens the tournament on 7 January.
Knockout ties are draw slots (1A, 2C, 3BEF, W37) and resolve to real teams once the group stage finishes in January 2027.
The Eight Stadiums
Capacities are MeetStadium's own figures. Three grounds carry 2026 completion targets and are marked as scheduled.
Scheduled King Fahd Sports City Stadium
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Scheduled Aramco Stadium
Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium
Al-Awwal Park
Kingdom Arena
Scheduled Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium
Al-Shabab Club Stadium
The AFC lists Al-Awwal Park as King Saud University Stadium and Aramco Stadium as Al Khobar, and prints rounded capacities that differ from ours on six of the eight grounds.
Five in Riyadh
Five of the eight grounds are in Riyadh, two in Jeddah, one in Al Khobar, and Jeddah to Al Khobar is 1,229 kilometres across the country, coast to coast.
In practice this is a tournament in one city with two outposts. Riyadh's five grounds sit within 24 kilometres of each other and hold 160,741 seats between them, so a team drawn into the right group can play a whole first round without changing hotel.
The shape of the knockout is the opposite. Riyadh has five stadiums, the opening match and the final, yet neither semi-final is played there: one goes to Al Khobar on the Gulf, the other to Jeddah on the Red Sea, before the survivors come back for 5 February.
How It Works
Six groups of four
Three group games each, 36 matches before a ball is kicked in the knockouts.
Top two, plus four thirds
The four best third-placed teams fill out a Round of 16.
Straight knockout after that
Fifty-one matches in thirty days, ending at King Fahd on 5 February.
Edition since 1956
The first was in Hong Kong. Asia's oldest national-team tournament.
History and Records
Three Titles, Never at Home
Saudi Arabia won in 1984 in Singapore, 1988 in Qatar and 1996 in the United Arab Emirates, and finished runner-up three more times, in 1992, 2000 and 2007. Six finals, not one of them played in the Kingdom. They have never won it at home for the simple reason that they have never hosted it.
Road to 2027
Five dates from the award to the final.
Common Questions
When is the AFC Asian Cup 2027?
From 7 January to 5 February 2027, a 30-day tournament of 51 matches.
Where is the AFC Asian Cup 2027 being held?
In Saudi Arabia, across eight stadiums in three cities: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar. It is the first time Saudi Arabia has hosted the tournament.
How many teams are in the 2027 Asian Cup?
24 teams, drawn into six groups of four. The top two in each group advance, plus the four best third-placed teams, making a Round of 16.
Where is the 2027 Asian Cup final?
At King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh on 5 February 2027. The same ground stages the opening match on 7 January.
Who are the defending champions?
Qatar, who won in 2019 and retained it in 2023. That makes them the fifth nation to win back-to-back Asian Cups, after South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Japan. They are in Group F with Japan, Thailand and Indonesia.
Has Saudi Arabia won the Asian Cup?
Three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1996, with three runner-up finishes in 1992, 2000 and 2007. They have never won it at home, for the simple reason that they have never hosted it before.
Which is the biggest stadium at the 2027 Asian Cup?
King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh, at 70,200. The smallest is Al-Shabab Club Stadium, also in Riyadh, at 13,537.
Are all the stadiums finished?
Not yet. Three of the eight carry 2026 completion targets against a January 2027 kickoff: King Fahd Sports City, Aramco Stadium and Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium. We list them as scheduled rather than complete.
From the Journal
All articles →Asian Cup coverage starts closer to the tournament. In the meantime, from our stadium desk:
Largest Stadiums in the World by Capacity: 2026 Rankings
From Narendra Modi Stadium to the newly expanded Camp Nou, here are the biggest stadiums on Earth, ranked by capacity with the context that makes each one worth knowing.
The Most Expensive Stadiums Ever Built
SoFi Stadium cost around 5.5 billion dollars, more than the next two most expensive stadiums combined. Here are the most expensive stadiums ever built, ranked by construction cost, plus the cost-per-seat math that shows which ones were really the wildest spends.
Biggest Crowds in History: All-Time Stadium Attendance Records
Nearly 200,000 people once crammed into the Maracana for a single football match. That crowd can never happen again, and neither can most of the records on this list. Here are the biggest stadium crowds ever recorded, and why they are permanent.
Follow the Road to Riyadh
Stadium confirmations, venue guides and the stories behind the tournament, straight to your inbox.
Unsubscribe anytime. We respect your privacy.
A MeetStadium preview. Knockout pairings are draw slots until the groups are played, and three venues carry 2026 completion targets that we have not independently verified.