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The AFC Asian Cup scheduled in Saudi Arabia next January could be postponed by a year to 2028 "if necessary," according to a football official, following a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
However, Asian Football Confederation President, Bahraini Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, also said "we are not in a rush" to make a decision regarding Asia's premier national team tournament.
The 2027 Asian Cup is scheduled to kick off on January 7 in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Al-Khobar.
Saudi Arabia has been subjected to attacks by the Houthi militia in recent days.
Al Khalifa told reporters in Zurich on Wednesday regarding the decision on the fate of the Asian Cup: "We can wait until the end of November."
He added, "Conditions in the region can change very quickly for the better or the worse, and it is a matter of monitoring what happens."
He continued, "If we need to make a decision, we will, but we can postpone the tournament by a year to 2028 if necessary."
He added: "For now, however, we are monitoring the situation and everything is proceeding according to the set schedule."
Saudi club Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League match, led by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, was delayed by an hour on Monday after the Saudi-led military coalition announced the interception of a missile launched towards Riyadh.
Three Saudi Pro League matches, including Al-Ahli versus Al-Nassr, were also postponed this week.
The "Six Kings Slam" exhibition tennis tournament, which was scheduled to feature Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, and Germany's Alexander Zverev, has been postponed to the end of December.
Australia, one of the 24 teams scheduled to participate in the Asian Cup, said this week that it is "monitoring the situation closely" in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the body representing South Korean players said Thursday that there is "serious concern regarding the safety of all players participating in the Asian Cup."
Yonhap News Agency quoted Lee Keun-ho, president of the South Korean Professional Footballers Association, as saying that "the ongoing military tensions and state of security instability in the Middle East are matters that cannot be underestimated."
Lee added that "the value of any tournament cannot take precedence over the lives and safety of players and football fans."
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