DOHA: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) on Thursday announced it has officially submitted its bid to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said: “It’s not just about holding the tournament and achieving the expected success; this will be a great addition to the reputation Qatar enjoys when it comes to organising major sports tournaments. We must bear in mind that this is a constant endeavour for us, to continue organising such big events at all levels like we have done before with great success, as witnessed by all.”
He said “Qatar will be ready to host the 19th edition of the Asian Cup, taking advantage of the country’s modern sports facilities that will host the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be a legacy for future generations of Asia, in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030. This will be in addition to the full completion of the other infrastructure projects and services related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, such as road networks, transportation options and hotels at all levels – all of which is included in the bid file.”
The QFA President said “winning the Asian Cup in its latest edition was a great achievement for us, and the spirit of challenge that contributed to that triumph will lead us to other successes, in terms of hosting and organising a tournament that Asia deserves, and we will be proud to have it here in Qatar once again.”
He added: ‘At the same time, we will not neglect the important role played by our cadres in Qatar’s series of successes. Qatar places the utmost importance on this and we have people with great experience who have contributed effectively to the organisation of different sporting events, as a result of years of investment in human resource development, which is an additional strength and pillar of the country’s bid file.”
QFA Vice-President Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mohannadi stated: “What we are looking forward to achieving by organising the AFC Asian Cup 2027 is to strengthen the great partnerships, and fruitful and constructive cooperation we share with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at all levels. The QFA has been one of the main supporters of the AFC, through several projects and events that were organised both in the past and those that are to be held in the near future.”