A rapid deterioration in Saudi Arabia's security situation has thrown South Korea's November away friendlies in the Middle East and its preparations for the Asian Cup in January 2027 into doubt.
An unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 of King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on the 11th, setting off a fire, the Saudi-led coalition said. The attack killed one person and injured 11.
King Khalid airport was also hit by a missile attack by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on the 10th of this month. That strike killed 13 civilians and wounded about 300, including foreign nationals of several countries. A series of explosions has also been reported in central Riyadh, adding to a sense of spreading insecurity.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised its travel advisory for all of Saudi Arabia to Level 3, "advise departure," effective 10 p.m. on the 11th. The ministry urged citizens to "consider leaving unless they have pressing business, and to cancel or postpone plans if they intend to travel."
The successive missile strikes in Saudi Arabia have fueled concern over the national team under Roberto Moreno, which is preparing for the November friendlies and the Asian Cup. The team, led by interim coach Roberto Moreno, had been arranging two away matches in the Middle East during the FIFA international window in November, which runs from the 9th to the 17th. The plan was to face Asian Cup host Saudi Arabia in the country and play another Middle Eastern side in a neighboring state. Local media had reported that the Saudi national team would meet South Korea and Uzbekistan in November.
With the higher travel advisory compounded by uncertainty over flight operations, however, the prevailing view is that holding the matches in Saudi Arabia will be difficult. The harder question is what to do instead. With less than a month until the international window, lining up new opponents, stadiums, flights and accommodation would be costly and time-consuming. Within the Korea Football Association, options under review are said to include a neutral venue, alternative opponents elsewhere in Asia and, in the worst case, shifting the matches to South Korea.
"We are in constant contact with the Asian Football Confederation and are closely monitoring the situation on the ground," the association said. "Whether the tournament goes ahead is for the AFC to decide, but for the November international window we are at the stage of reviewing multiple scenarios."
The mounting unease has also raised the possibility of moving the Asian Cup. The prospect of relocating the tournament has surfaced repeatedly whenever the security situation in the Middle East has worsened. In April this year, some foreign media reported that Australia was being floated as an alternative host as the spread of conflict cast doubt on Saudi Arabia's staging of the event. The AFC, however, maintains that it has not officially discussed any change of venue.