2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup

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2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup
Tournament details
Host countryAustralia
Dates1–21 March
Teams12 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)5 (in 3 host cities)
2022
2029

The 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup will be the 21st edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament in Asia competed by the women's national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Contents

Australia was officially ratified as the host nation by the AFC Women's Football Committee on 15 May 2024. [1]

The final tournament will serve as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. This will be the last time the qualifications will be linked, as a standalone qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held starting from the 2031 edition onwards. For the first time, the final tournament will also serve as the penultimate stage of Asian qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with all eight quarter-finalists qualifying for the 2028 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. [2]

China are the defending champions.

Host selection

The following four football associations submitted their interest to host the tournament by the 31 July 2022 deadline. [3] Australia was selected as the host nation by the AFC Women's Football Committee on 15 March 2024 following the withdrawals of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. [4]

Cancelled bids

Qualification

The host country Australia qualified automatically, along with the top three teams from the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. [8]

Qualified teams

The following twelve teams qualified for the tournament:

TeamMethod of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
FIFA RankingPrevious best
performance
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Hosts15 May 20247th 2022 TBDChampions (2010)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 2022 champions18 December 202416th 2022 TBDChampions (1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2022)
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 2022 runner–ups18 December 202414th 2022 TBDRunners-up (2022)
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 2022 third place18 December 202418th 2022 TBDChampions (2014, 2018)

    Venues

    Games will be held in venues across New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. [9] The five selected venues were officially recommended for formal ratification by the AFC on 12 November 2024. [10]

    Australia Sydney, New South Wales Gold Coast, Queensland Perth, Western Australia
    Stadium Australia Gold Coast Stadium Perth Rectangular Stadium
    Capacity: 82,000Capacity: 27,690Capacity: 20,500
    2022 NRLGF stadium.jpg Western Grandstand of Robina Stadium.jpg Nib Stadium.jpg
    Western Sydney Stadium Perth Stadium
    Capacity: 30,000Capacity: 65,000
    2022 Aus Cup Final - Stadium view.jpg WBBL 07 Final (01).jpg

    Qualified teams for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup

    The following six teams from AFC will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. Two more teams may qualify via the inter-confederation play-offs. [11]

    TeamQualified onPrevious appearances in FIFA Women's World Cup [a]
    TBDMarch 2026
    TBDMarch 2026
    TBDMarch 2026
    TBDMarch 2026
    TBDMarch 2026
    TBDMarch 2026
    1. Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

    References

    1. 1 2 "Australia and Uzbekistan confirmed as 2026 and 2029 AFC Women's Asian Cup hosts". AFC. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
    2. "AFC unveils breakthrough reforms to strengthen Women's National Team Competitions". AFC. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
    3. "Four Member Associations express interest to host AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026". AFC. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
    4. "Australia and Uzbekistan recommended as hosts for 2026 and 2029 editions of AFC Women's Asian Cup". AFC. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
    5. "Saudi Arabia, Australia among four nations to bid for 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup". Inside the Games. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
    6. "Saudi Arabia submits bid to host AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026". Arab News. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
    7. 1 2 "Australia set to host 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup after others withdraw bids". Sportcal. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
    8. "Asian Football powerhouses qualify for AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026". Football Australia. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
    9. Nicholson, Paul (22 April 2024). "Aussies announce states to host Women's Asian Cup 2026". Inside World Football. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
    10. Comino, Matt (13 November 2024). "Three host cities confirmed for 2026 Women's Asian Cup as five venues selected & dates locked in". the A-leagues. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
    11. "FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027™ dates confirmed". 11 December 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.