The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has extended the deadline for member associations to submit their biddings for hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2027 from March 31, 2020 to June 30, 2020. The decision was taken in light of the current novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to give member associations, many of whom have been affected by the global outbreak, sufficient time to meet their internal processes and timelines. According to a recent statement by the Saudi Football Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Asia's three-time champion, who never played host of the continent's soccer cup, is planning to win the bidding for AFC Asian Cup 2027.