AFC Stops Bidding, Indonesia Fails to Continue the 2031 Asian Cup Process

Asean Football Confederation (@afc)

JAKARTA - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially stopped the bidding process for the 2031 Asian Cup, where Indonesia is one of the candidates, and 2035.

Quoted from the official website, Friday, March 20, the AFC said the policy was taken because FIFA asked the Asian Cup to be held in even years.

"The AFC is following the direction and will adjust the competition according to the instructions," the AFC wrote, quoted by Antara.

The AFC also ensured that they were in the process of reviewing the full impact of the changes.

Therefore, the AFC decided to stop the bidding process for the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup hosts so that the process would be more structured.

"We want everything to be clearer and more structured," the AFC wrote.

They also thanked all member federations who have applied to host.

"Further details on the revised competition calendar, including information on future bidding opportunities (host-red), will be announced later," the AFC wrote.

Previously, in February 2026, the AFC announced the countries that had submitted bids to host the 2031 Asian Cup, namely Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Kuwait, and a combination of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, those who have applied to host the 2035 Asian Cup are Australia, Japan, South Korea and Kuwait.