Kuwait bids to host 2028 World Cup-qualifying Futsal Asian Cup

Kuwait Football Association President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Al-Yousef stated that he discussed general football developments and specific matters concerning the Kuwaiti Football Association with Infantino, including an agreement for FIFA’s Global Football Development Director, French coach Arsène Wenger, to visit Kuwait to inaugurate the “Al-Azraq” Academy next November.

The association president noted that during the meeting, he highlighted that the association has begun the process of obtaining the necessary licenses from the General Sports Authority and the Kuwait Municipality to construct a new headquarters for the Kuwaiti Football Association and pitches for the Al-Azraq Academy, supported by an $8 million financial contribution from FIFA under the FIFA Forward program.

In a separate matter, Al-Yousef said that Kuwait has formally submitted a bid to host the 2028 AFC Futsal Asian Cup, scheduled from January 25 to February 6, 2028, which serves as a qualifier for the 2028 FIFA Futsal World Cup. He pointed out that Kuwait has experience in hosting the tournament, having organized the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.

The association president clarified that a delegation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will visit Kuwait at the end of the current month of September to inspect the sports facilities that will host the tournament’s events. Al-Yousef affirmed that Kuwaiti sports youth are capable of organizing major events and matches, most recently the French Super Cup and the Gulf Cup, both of which were successfully and distinctively managed.