Tsuneyasu Miyamoto

“I just had a meeting with the Saudi side and they said that their top priority is the safety of the players, the fans, and everyone who would be attending the tournament.”

Tsuneyasu Miyamoto · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-23

Miyamoto reported on a meeting with the Saudi side, who said player and fan safety is their top priority.

“They said they would work with the AFC to decide whether the tournament can go ahead, so they did mention that it would take some time (to make that decision).”

Tsuneyasu Miyamoto · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-23

Miyamoto relayed that the Saudi side said they would work with the AFC to decide whether the tournament can go ahead.

“Based on what I’ve learned from the news, the situation is still unsafe, so at this point, I don’t think it would be easy to hold the [Asian] Cup there,”

Tsuneyasu Miyamoto · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-23

Miyamoto told reporters at the AFC's extraordinary congress in Tokyo that the security situation in Saudi Arabia makes hosting the 2027 Asian Cup difficult.