“Missiles have hit the airport, and you expect us to go play soccer?” Moreno’s side on high alert ahead of Saudi trip... Asian Cup hosting also in doubt

[Financial News] The Middle East’s powder keg has now set Korean football on edge, too. As missiles continue to strike Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, causing mass casualties, the South Korean national team’s plans for an away friendly in Saudi Arabia this November have been thrown into disarray. Moreover, it is now unclear whether the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, scheduled for next January, can go ahead as planned.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was hit by a missile attack on the 10th by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The catastrophe left 13 civilians of various nationalities dead and around 300 injured, turning the area into a scene of chaos. The following day, the 11th, an unidentified projectile struck the airport terminal, killing one person and injuring 11. A series of explosions could also be heard in central Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia’s security crisis is now at its peak.
As the situation deteriorated beyond control, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry abruptly raised the travel alert for all of Saudi Arabia to Level 3, “Departure Recommendation,” effective at 10 p.m. on the 11th. The ministry strongly advised people to “depart unless they have urgent business, and for those planning to travel to cancel or postpone their trips.”



The South Korean national team, led by interim coach Robert Moreno, has taken the immediate hit. As part of its preparations for next January’s Asian Cup, the team had planned to visit Saudi Arabia during the November international window (the 9th–17th) and play a friendly against the host nation’s team. On the 7th, Saudi outlet Al-Riyadiyah also reported that the Saudi national team would play friendlies against South Korea and Uzbekistan in November.
But sending the national team to a high-risk area that the government itself has placed under a “Departure Recommendation” is virtually impossible. And with just a month to go, arranging a new friendly opponent and a third-country venue would also be extremely difficult in practice, leaving the Korea Football Association with a tough decision.




The bigger concern is the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which opens on January 7 next year. Riyadh, where the catastrophe occurred, is one of the tournament’s three key host cities.
With signs that instability in the Middle East could drag on, the possibility of changing the Asian Cup’s host venue is being cautiously discussed both within and beyond the football world. In fact, when conflict in the Middle East escalated last April, British outlets including The Guardian reported that Australia was emerging as an alternative host as it became uncertain whether Saudi Arabia could stage the tournament.
A Korea Football Association official said on the 12th, “We are staying in close contact with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and monitoring the situation closely.” The official added, “We have no choice but to wait for the AFC’s decision on the Asian Cup, and we are discussing internally several possibilities for the national team’s away trip in November,” while declining to comment further. A major setback off the field has thrown Moreno’s plans badly off course.


[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter