HONG KONG, June 28 — The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has extended its deadline to receive bids for staging the 2023 Asian Cup following China's decision to relinquish its hosting rights, the governing body said on Tuesday.

China was set to host the 24-team tournament in June and July next year but the country's strict Covid-19 policy resulted in the event being moved.

Interested parties must confirm their bid by July 15, the AFC said in a statement, having previously set a June 30 deadline after inviting bids for the championship last month.

South Korea's football association confirmed last week that it will launch a bid to host the event while Japan said in May it had been informally approached about the possibility of replacing China as hosts.

Football Australia has said it was also weighing up a possible bid. — Reuters