RIYADH, 4th May, 2026 (WAM) -- The Asian Football Confederation today announced the details of the final draw ceremony for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, scheduled to take place on 9 May in Diriyah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the participation of 24 national teams, including the UAE national team, which has been placed in the second pot.

The draw ceremony will be held at the historic Salwa Palace in the At-Turaif district at 21:00 Saudi time.

The UAE national team will compete in the tournament among the second pot teams alongside Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Syria, according to the latest FIFA rankings issued on 1 April, which enhances its chances of facing balanced competition in the group stage.

According to the official website of the Asian Football Confederation, the participating teams will be distributed into four pots, with six teams in each pot, before being drawn into six groups of four teams each. The first pot includes Saudi Arabia (hosts), Japan, Iran, Republic of Korea, Australia, and Uzbekistan.

The third pot includes Bahrain, Thailand, China, Palestine, Vietnam, and Tajikistan, while the fourth pot includes Kyrgyzstan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Singapore, in addition to the winner of the Lebanon and Yemen match to be held on 4 June 2026 to determine the final spot.

The tournament will feature 24 teams, with 23 already confirmed following qualifiers that lasted three years and concluded last March, while one remaining spot is yet to be decided.

The tournament is scheduled to kick off on 7 January 2027 at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh, which has a capacity of approximately 72,000 spectators, among eight stadiums distributed across the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar.