{
  "id": 14929060,
  "title": "Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed by a year amid Houthi attacks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/asian-cup-in-saudi-arabia-could-be-postponed-by-a-year-amid-houthi",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T09:41:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/asian-cup-in-saudi-arabia-could-be-postponed-by-a-year-amid-houthi-attacks/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Asian Cup, set to take place in Saudi Arabia, may be postponed by a year due to a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthis, according to Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. The tournament, originally scheduled to begin on January 7 with matches in Jeddah, Riyadh, and al-Khobar, could now be rescheduled for 2028 if necessary. Al Khalifa indicated that \"we can wait until the end of November\" to make the decision, acknowledging that the situation in the region can change quickly for better or worse. The Saudi Civil Defence recently intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh, leading to a one-hour delay in a match featuring Al-Nassr, a team where Cristiano Ronaldo plays. Three domestic football matches in Saudi Arabia have also been postponed this week due to security concerns. Al Khalifa stated that the organizers are \"in no hurry\" to make a decision and are currently monitoring the situation.",
  "summary": "Football’s Asian Cup, hosted by Saudi Arabia, could be moved back a year to 2028 following a series of attacks on the country by Yemen’s Houthis. The continental tournament will be rescheduled “if we need to” but the organisers are in “no hurry” to make a decision, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "How Chinese parts are fuelling Houthi ambitions to strike Israel and Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/how-chinese-parts-are-fuelling-houthi-ambitions-to-strike-israel-and",
        "published": "2026-10-15T02:34:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Houthi attacks on saudi arabia cause global oil prices to surge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/houthi-attacks-on-saudi-arabia-cause-global-oil-prices-to-surge",
        "published": "2026-10-15T05:08:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Why have Saudi air defences failed to intercept Houthi missiles?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/why-have-saudi-air-defences-failed-to-intercept-houthi-missiles",
        "published": "2026-10-15T08:00:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Could Israeli technology aid Saudi Arabia's struggles to stop Houthi missile attacks? - analysis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/could-israeli-technology-aid-saudi-arabias-struggles-to-stop-houthi",
        "published": "2026-10-15T09:04:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "FNC Speaker denounces Houthi attacks, reaffirms UAE's solidarity with Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/fnc-speaker-denounces-houthi-attacks-reaffirms-uaes-solidarity-with",
        "published": "2026-10-15T09:33:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia could be postponed by a year amid Houthi attacks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/asian-cup-in-saudi-arabia-could-be-postponed-by-a-year-amid-houthi",
        "published": "2026-10-15T10:44:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}