All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Choubey has announced that India will officially bid to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup. While the country had previously shown interest in organising the 2027 edition, the hosting rights ultimately went to Saudi Arabia. This time, however, the AIFF has the firm backing of the Indian government and remains optimistic about securing the tournament, expressing confidence in their ability to convince the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
On the field, India has faced a tough run of form recently, registering a draw against Bangladesh and suffering a loss to Hong Kong, China during the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Addressing the setbacks, President Choubey emphasised the hard work being put in behind the scenes and urged fans and stakeholders to look beyond current results, highlighting a long-term, 10-year development plan aimed at transforming Indian football.
“You question us what we did in the last two and a half years, but we are planning for 10 years ahead. We should not look at what's happening immediately. We should focus on the 10-year plan we're working on. While the country is bidding for the 2036 Olympics, we are also trying for the 2031 AFC Asian Cup. Blaming is the easiest way, it shows the weakness in your character,” Choubey said in the press conference.
We need to have better infrastructure in our stadiums: Choubey
To host international events in India, Choubey explained that the country will need to have better infrastructure in the stadiums. AIFF and the government of India invested heavily in hosting the U17 World Cup in 2017, but the grounds haven’t been maintained properly since. Reflecting on the same, Choubey noted that the state associations have been told to build better stadiums and not follow the old models.
"To host international events, we need to have better infrastructure in our stadiums. Most of our stadiums, with tracks is old models, where the audience can't watch closely. We have asked the state government to construct new stadium so that the fans can watch the matches closely,” Choubey said.