RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) officially announced the launch of its campaign to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup on Wednesday.

Focused on the future, the Saudi Arabia team unveiled a new bid logo and slogan: “Forward for Asia.”

According to the bid team, bringing the AFC Asian Cup 2027 to Saudi Arabia for the first-time ever would be an opportunity to ensure that momentum being created by football in the Kingdom is not only carried forward, but that it is renewed and expanded to include each and every football association across Asia.

SAFF President Yasser Al-Mashal said: “As we in Saudi Arabia undertake our own transformation forward through our national Vision 2030, we want to use our long-standing passion for football as a catalyst for the continued growth of football across Asia.

“Our vision for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup is to build much more than a tournament. We want to create a massive move forward for all of Asia, one that is focused on creating a new experience, a new exchange and a new expansion. We look forward to sharing our ideas with the entire Asian football family in the coming months,” he added.

The Saudi national team has a long and successful history, having won the AFC Asian Cup three times and qualified for the FIFA World Cup five times but has never hosted one of the major international football tournaments.

SAFF General Secretary, Ibrahim Alkassim followed by saying: “The Saudi Arabian Football Association is not only committed to hosting an exceptional AFC Asian Cup in 2027, but we are also committed to creating a strong impact across Asian football as part of organizing the tournament here in Saudi Arabia.

“We are committed to making a 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia a huge step forward for all AFC Member Associations,” he added.

The Saudi 2027 bid logo represents the powerful combination of three elements, the golden falcon, football and wings.

The golden falcon Saudi Arabia’s national bird which highlights the ongoing passion of the nation is combined with football which portrays the nation’s commitment to hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and ensuring renewal, expansion and positive momentum; the logo then lastly integrates with the wings which resemble partnership and moving forward.

According to a SAFF statement, the combination symbolizes the boldness, strength and commitment of the Kingdom to Asian football.