AFC Faces Criticism After Appointing Saudi Arabia and Qatar as World Cup Qualifiers Hosts

According to Bolasport.com, the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) announced a controversial decision regarding the host selection for the fourth round of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

In yesterday evening’s announcement, the AFC designated Saudi Arabia and Qatar as hosts for the qualification round — a decision considered disadvantageous to several teams, including the Indonesian National Team.

This decision triggered a wave of protests from the Asian football community, with three countries explicitly voicing their disagreement with the selection process deemed lacking transparency.

Soha joined the ranks of critics questioning the objectivity of the AFC‘s decision — a policy viewed as more beneficial to Saudi Arabia and Qatar than other participating nations.