The AFC Asian Cup is going back to even-numbered years. Meeting in an extraordinary session in Tokyo on Friday, the Asian Football Confederation's General Assembly unanimously approved statute changes that move the tournament from 2032 onwards, making Saudi Arabia 2027 the last edition held in an odd year.
The Asian Cup last ran in an even year in 2004, before switching to its current cycle with the 2007 edition. The AFC says the change follows talks with FIFA over the coming international match calendar. The 2032 host has not been chosen.
The same package realigns the confederation's governance with the tournament. Elections for the AFC's top posts will still be held during 2027, but the winners take office on 1 January 2028 for a term running to 2032, so one leadership oversees each Asian Cup through its decisive phases. Current officials serve until the end of 2027, and the AFC says details of the elections will follow.
The vote settles the long-term calendar, not the near-term one: whether the Saudi edition goes ahead as scheduled in January is still open, with the AFC having said it can wait until the end of November to decide.
Source
Original summary by Proventier.