The “Asia Cup” was postponed to December 2027

Yesterday (Tuesday), the Asian Football Confederation announced the postponement of the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia to the period from December 23, 2027, until January 21, 2028, instead of its previous date between January 7 and February 5, due to exceptional circumstances, logistical complications, and travel disruptions, provided that the new dates are presented to FIFA for approval. (Details p. 19)

Yasser Al-Meshal, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, confirmed the completion of the Kingdom’s preparations to host the tournament on its original date, stressing the continuation of work according to the approved plans, while the Australian Federation welcomed the decision, appreciating Saudi Arabia’s commitment to organizing a world-class tournament.

Locally, the Saudi Professional League decided to postpone the thirteenth round, and to re-review the competition calendar in consultation with the clubs, to achieve a better balance between matches and recovery periods, while the postponement forces several Asian federations to re-evaluate the programs of their teams and the contracts of their technical staff.

Al-Ahly Club is waiting within the next 48 hours to decide whether or not to return the game of basketball to the club, with Abdullah Al-Sabban, Chairman of the Executive Committee, taking the final decision in this regard.

Private sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the basketball team players agreed to reduce more than 50 percent of their salaries, in a move aimed at facilitating the return of the game and the continuation of its activity within the club.

Al-Ahly had previously canceled the basketball game, amid demands to bring it back, at a time when the Saudi Basketball Federation is awaiting the final decision from the club, according to the same sources, before issuing the league competition schedule for next season.

English Ollie Watkins, Al Hilal player, expressed his happiness at scoring goals and helping his team achieve victory.

The English striker led his team, Al Hilal, to restore its winning streak in the AFC Champions League for the Elite, when he scored a brace against the Emirati club, Al Ahly Dubai, to enable Al Hilal to win the match points.

Watkins said in an interview with the media after the victory over Shabab Al-Ahly of the Emirates and achieving Al-Hilal’s third victory in the AFC Elite Champions League: “I am happy to score goals and help the team achieve the victory, which was important for us tonight, especially since we are performing well in the league.”

The English striker added: “I am a striker and my job is to score goals. I wasted some opportunities in previous matches, but today I succeeded in exploiting them, and I aspire to score in every match and contribute to the team’s victories.”