Australia is in the running to host the Asia Cup 2023 as they are considering making a formal proposal to stage the men’s football tournament, according to reports.
The 24-team event is expected to take place between June and July next year. Along with Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, and Qatar are also weighing up moves to host the tournament.
Currently, the Asian Football Federation (AFC) has pushed back the deadline for formal bids to be submitted until August 31, whereas, an announcement will be made by the AFC’s executive committee in October on where the next edition of the tournament will be played.
China were also previously believed to be weighing up a bid to host the Asia Cup. But with Covid-19 still ravaging the country, they have decided to pull out, and they have informed the AFC.
These are of course exciting times for Australia, which will be hosting the Women’s World Cup next summer. Australia are no strangers though to hosting the Asia Cup as they were granted that honour in 2015, and it proved to be a roaring success as they beat South Korea in the final.
Perhaps logistically the Women’s World Cup could interfere with Australia’s bid, which is something that Football Australia boss James Johnson has expressed concerns over.
Johnson, however, seemed to pour cold water over the idea that Qatar, who will be hosting the men’s World Cup later this year, could be picked for the Asia Cup.
He said: “If you want to create atmospheres and a lot of interest with fans around the tournament, which these tournaments do, then it is difficult to play a tournament in Qatar during that period.
“So it does probably play on the decision-makers’ minds. It would only keep, I would assume, Qatar in the race if it’s January-February, but having said that, Indonesia and South Korea would be fine to host with their climates at those times.”
While the sporting itinerary looks very busy for Australia over the next 12 months, getting the nod to host the Asia Cup would be a coup for the Aussies and it will put the country firmly on the football map. The profile of the Asia Cup continues to grow. It is set to whip fans into a frenzy and you can expect a few upsets along the way.
It is also likely to create a lot of excitement among the world’s leading operators. In particular, there will be bookmakers in Australia, such as Unibet and bet365 that will post outright odds on the tournament winner, while you can expect to find plenty of pre-match lines to tuck into when the 2023 edition gets underway.
If Australia is unsuccessful with its bid to stage the 2023 Asia Cup, you imagine they will return with a proposal to bring the Women’s Asia Cup to the country in 2026. While there are still a few things that remain up in the air with regards to the 2023 Asia Cup, the picture should become clearer over the next few months.
