According to the official news of the Australian Football Association, Australia will withdraw from the bid for the 2023 Asian Cup, but will continue to apply for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. There are currently only three countries left to bid for the 2023 Asian Cup, and the event is likely to cost Qatar.
Originally, the 2023 Asian Cup was planned to be held in China, but due to the impact of the epidemic, the Chinese Football Association could not promise the AFC to meet the requirements of opening fans to the tournament stage, and finally decided to abandon the hosting. After China gave up its qualifications, many countries, including South Korea, expressed their interest in hosting the 2023 Asian Cup.
In the end, the Australian, South Korean, Indonesian and Qatari football federations made verbal commitments to undertake, and according to the requirements, they need to submit various materials to the AFC by August 31, and then the AFC will evaluate the selection.
With the official announcement of the Australian Football Association, abandoning the application to host the 2023 Asian Cup, only three countries are interested in hosting the event, in view of the epidemic prevention and control, venue, experience in hosting the event, etc., the event is likely to be hosted by Qatar, after all, there will be a World Cup in Qatar at the end of this year.
Of course, although the Australian Football Association will not submit an application to host the 2023 Asian Cup, they said that they will still apply to host the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, and the relevant materials will be officially submitted later.