Highlights:
- India will bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027
- Union Sports Minister and President of the All Indian Football Federation announced the intentions
- The Indian FA aims to take Indian Football to new heights
The All India Football Federation (AIFF), in the presence of the Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and AIFF’s President Praful Patel, formally launched its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in New Delhi.
The announcement came during an illustrious event which was attended by the Union Sports Minister, AIFF’s President Praful Patel along with former India player Gouramangi Singh and women’s national team star Ashalata Devi.
The Indian Football Association emphasised that it is aiming to take the Indian Football domain to new heights and will work in partnership with AFC to explore new commercial opportunities, drive growth and also build on an ever-growing love for the sport among the youth of India.
Apart from India, Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among the AFC Member Associations who will be bidding to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027.
Praful Patel mentioned that as Indian will host the Asian Cup in 2027, it will open a unique opportunity to increase the popularity of the game in India.
Also Read: Crazy Football Facts
Patel said, “It has taken a lot of hard work to reach the level we are at today, where we can think of hosting international events year on year.”
He added, “The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India left an indelible mark on our country and we’re now working towards ensuring FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup go down as two of the most successful women’s international football tournaments.”
During the event, the 63 year old AIFF President also said, “We’re continuously working on infrastructure upgradation and football development, and India would be honoured to be selected as the host for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. It is an unparalleled opportunity to take Asian football to new heights and create a Brighter Future Together, for India, for the AFC and for our whole continent”.
Union Minister Rijiju assured that the government will offer all sort of support which would be needed by AIFF to ensure India can host the tournament.
He said, “Hosting Asia’s biggest football event, the AFC Asian Cup 2027 will be a huge milestone for Indian sports. Our nation is perfectly poised to host a mega sporting event of this magnitude.”
He added, “We have extensive experience over the last two decades of successfully planning, organising and staging some of the world’s biggest sporting events and are looking forward to hosting two more big events in 2022 – the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and AFC Women’s Asian Cup. I assure you that all government support will be given in getting this tournament to India, and making it a memorable one for everyone involved.”
Over the years, the Indian government has invested heavily in the infrastructure necessary for Football so that it can grow and says that by 2027 the progress will be multifold.
India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 which was the most attended FIFA youth tournament in history with a record 13,4 lakh or 1.34 million spectators.
India will host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and also the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2022.
The logo for India’s bidding campaign was also unveiled at the event and represents the ambition, commitment, focus and spirit of the bid, epitomised by the royal tiger. The tiger is also an emblem of India’s national team, the Blue Tigers.
The slogan, “Brighter Future Together”, highlights the exceptional opportunity the bid from India presents for AFC and AIFF to work in partnership and take Indian and Asian football to the next level.
