The Asian Football Confederation has suspended the bidding process for its men's Asian Cup tournaments in 2031 and 2035 following a request from FIFA to adjust the tournament schedule.

In a letter to member federations on Thursday, the AFC announced it was halting the bidding process after FIFA informed Asian soccer leaders of planned changes to the international match calendar. The world governing body has requested that the AFC stage its premier men's tournament in even-numbered years rather than odd-numbered years.

The decision came just six weeks after the AFC had announced a list of interested candidates for hosting the tournaments. Australia, Kuwait, and South Korea had each expressed interest in hosting either the 2031 or 2035 edition of the competition.

The Asian Cup is the continent's premier men's soccer tournament and one of the AFC's marquee events. The timing change would align the tournament with FIFA's broader restructuring of the international soccer calendar.

The AFC has not yet announced when the bidding process will resume or provided details about the new timeline for future tournaments under the revised calendar structure.