RIYADH: The 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup makes its way to Saudi Arabia this week, with 16 countries battling for the continent’s most prestigious youth prize. The seventh edition of the tournament will be hosted by the Kingdom for the first time, after Qatar’s hosting of the most recent edition in 2024.

Saudi Arabia’s U-23 side has a storied history in the competition, reaching the final in its inaugural edition in 2013 before lifting the trophy nine years later in Uzbekistan. Only Japan and Uzbekistan rank higher than the Green Falcons when it comes to overall performance at the tournament.

While Saudi Arabia enters as one of the favorites, the AFC U23 Asian Cup is far more than a standalone competition. The Kingdom has also secured the rights to host the AFC U-17 Asian Cup for four consecutive editions, with the first held in April last year and the second scheduled for this May.

Taken together, this forms part of a calculated strategy on Saudi Arabia’s road to hosting major international sporting events, with the AFC Asian Cup 2027 — set to kick off in January of next year — representing a central milestone in that journey.

Arab News spoke to Paul Williams, co-founding editor of The Asian Game platform and a freelance journalist who has covered Asian football for more than 15 years, spoke of Saudi Arabia’s hosting strategy and what it could mean for the future.

Williams believes that tournaments such as the AFC U-23 Asian Cup function more as capacity-building exercises than as standalone events.

“It’s about building infrastructure around the tournament, understanding the appropriate level of training facilities required, while also developing the right human capacity for individuals to be able to deliver events of this scale,” he said.

Uzbekistan, he said, is a prime of example of how sequencing tournaments can support long-term ambitions.

“Uzbekistan are now bidding for the 2031 and 2035 AFC Asian Cups, and if you look at their progress over the last few years, they built that capacity by hosting lower-profile tournaments, such as the AFC U-17, U-20 and U-23 Men’s Asian Cups and the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup,” Williams said.

“If you can iron out any kinks by hosting lower-profile tournaments, by the time you come to host the bigger tournaments — the Asian Cups and the World Cups — you have already built capacity and proven yourself as a host,” he added.

Williams also pointed to Qatar’s recent hosting pathway as another example. “We saw Qatar do the same with the Arab Cup before the World Cup, and even without the World Cup as an end goal now, they have that proven ability to host tournaments,” he said.

The Australian believes this approach is crucial in the build-up to the AFC Asian Cup in 2027, but also with the 2034 FIFA World Cup in mind.

“Everything Saudi Arabia does is a stepping stone towards that,” he said. “This tournament may not receive the same level of attention with no Olympic qualification at stake, but from a Saudi point of view, it’s a way to show the world how they host these events.”

Beyond infrastructure, Williams also highlighted the cultural dimension of hosting.

“What we’re seeing is the federation and the Kingdom getting people comfortable with the idea of coming to Saudi Arabia for football tourism, while also familiarising them with the host cities and Saudi culture,” he said.

While the benefits of this tournament may not immediately translate into high attendance figures or viewership, Williams stressed that its importance should be measured by how it contributes to the wider ecosystem. And yet, from a footballing perspective, its significance is undeniable.

“These are the players that are going to be hitting their prime by the 2034 World Cup,” he told Arab News. “Hence, these tournaments are important opportunities for Saudi Arabia to demonstrate its on-field ability.”

Williams also referred to comments from senior national team manager Herve Renard, who has previously raised concerns about the amount of playing time local players receive in the Saudi Pro League.

“Saudi have a strong record at underage level, making the finals of the U-20 and U-23 Asian Cups on multiple occasions,” Williams said. “But if some of these players are expected to be carrying the torch toward 2034, it’s absolutely important that they deliver.”

The AFC U23 Asian Cup kicks off on Jan. 6 in Jeddah, with Vietnam against Jordan, followed by hosts Saudi Arabia against Kyrgyzstan. Riyadh welcomes its first games on Jan. 7 as it hosts Groups C and D. The knockout stage begins on Jan. 16, with all games from the quarter-finals on to be hosted in Jeddah.