India and Saudi Arabia will compete for the hosting rights of the 2027 Asian Cup as three other nations have withdrawn their bids, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Monday.

If India wins the bid, it will be the first time the country will host the continental showpiece event. Saudi Arabia have won the continental title three times but never hosted the tournament.

Iran withdrew their bid a few days back, while Uzbekistan had pulled out of the race in December 2020.

Since Qatar, the third interested nation, were confirmed as the host association for next year’s AFC Asian Cup, they withdrew the bid for the 2027 edition.

“The AFC Executive Committee deliberated upon the bidding proposals for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and shortlisted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) as the final two bidders,” an AFC statement said.

The decision on the next host will be taken by the AFC Congress at its next meeting in February.

“The decision brings to a close the bid proposal of the QFA who were considered to have withdrawn from the 2027 race following their successful 2023 bid in accordance with the applicable bidding regulations,” the statement added.

Qatar was given the rights in place of original hosts China after seeing off rival bids from South Korea and Indonesia.

The continental championships were awarded to China in 2019 but the world’s most populous country relinquished the rights earlier this year as it pursued a zero-Covid policy.