KUALA LUMPUR: China will be the host nation of the the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup in 2023 after the only other bidders South Korea withdrew from the process.
The tournament will involve 24 national teams after its expansion of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, including that of the host nation, assuming the current format of the finals is maintained. Qatar are the defending champions.
The Korean Football association (KFA) notified the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) of their intention to withdraw in a letter on Wednesday to focus on the bidding for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, paving the way for China to host the tournament for the second time.
“We need to make a choice between the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the Women’s World Cup,” KFA secretary general Chun Hanjin said in a statement on the organisation’s website.
“We decided to focus on the women’s World Cup strategically.
“In case of the women’s World Cup, FIFA and the government will actively support the joint hosting of the two Koreas.”
The KFA in March announced a joint bid with North Korea to host the 2023 women’s World Cup. Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa have also expressed interest.
South Korea has previously hosted the Asian Cup in 1960, which was also the last time they have won the tournament.
The winning bid will be announced on 4 June, on the eve of the 69th FIFA Congress, in Paris.
It was in late 2015 that the Chinese Football Association (CFA) declared interest in hosting the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Nine cities, Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Wuhan and Xi’an, were suggested by the CFA as potential host cities for the tournament.
In March 2019, it was reported that after evaluation, China had officially proposed to bid for the 2023 Asian Cup. China has previously hosted the 2004 Asian Cup where they reached the final but lost 3–1 to Japan.
