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The \u200bAsian Cup soccer tournament is on track to take place in Saudi Arabia early next year, local \u200corganisers said on Friday, but golf\u2019s Asian Tour has postponed the Saudi International indefinitely in the aftermath of a deadly attack on Riyadh.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for Saturday\u2019s strike on Riyadh\u2019s international airport, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.<\/p>\n Australia also withdrew \u200bits team from the urban cycling World Championships on Friday, citing safety concerns over travelling to Riyadh, where \u200bthe event is scheduled to take place in early November.<\/p>\n The Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament \u2060in Riyadh has already been moved from October to December, while FIFA on Thursday postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 video game competition \u200bin the Saudi capital until an unspecified future date.<\/p>\n In that environment, serious questions were being asked over whether the 24-team Asian Cup \u200bcould still go ahead in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5 next year.<\/p>\n Asian soccer chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said earlier this week that a postponement of the continental championships until 2028 was possible if necessary, but the local organising committee said on Friday \u200bthey were sticking to the original schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cPreparations across all organisational and operational areas are progressing according to the approved schedule, including \u200bwork on venues, facilities and supporting services,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201c(The LOC) will continue to monitor developments relevant to the tournament and \u200censure \u2060the appropriate conditions are in place for its successful delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n ATTACKS DISRUPT SPORTS CALENDAR<\/strong><\/p>\n The $5 million Saudi International , which is sponsored by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF), is the flagship event on the Asian Tour and had been scheduled to take place at Riyadh Golf Club from November 18-21.<\/p>\n Infantino faces FIFA critics in Zurich. Here\u2019s what to expect<\/p>\n The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard AusCycling said its decision to withdraw the Australian team from the urban World Championships was made \u201cwith the safety and \u200bwellbeing of our athletes and staff our highest priority\u201d.<\/p>\n The Australian government is advising travellers \u200bto \u201creconsider\u201d trips \u2060to Saudi Arabia in general and Riyadh\u2019s King Khalid International Airport in particular \u201cdue to recent security incidents\u201d.<\/p>\n The Saudi government has invested heavily in sport through the PIF in recent years and the Asian Cup was pitched as an early rehearsal for hosting \u2060the soccer \u200bWorld Cup in 2034.<\/p>\n According to a report on US news website \u200bSemafor earlier this week, PIF is preparing to tell FIFA that it will be scaling back stadium plans for the 2034 tournament as part of \u200ba broader review of domestic spending.<\/p>\n Reuters has contacted PIF for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThe decision to postpone was taken following an assessment of the organisational and logistical challenges associated with \u200bhosting the tournament and ensuring \u200bthe event is delivered \u2060to a standard befitting its international stature,\u201d an Asian Tour statement said.<\/p>\n