23 Jun 2025

Road to AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ kicks off

The journey to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ begins today for 34 teams across Asia as they launch their campaigns in the official Qualifiers.

Contenders will compete for one of eight remaining places at next year’s tournament. They will join hosts Australia and the top three sides from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ – defending champions China PR, runners-up Korea Republic and third-placed Japan – in the Continental showpiece to be staged across Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney from 1 to 26 March 2026.

The teams will compete in a group stage format across Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Qatar with the eight group winners booking their place at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™.

Of the 34 nations 18 will be aiming to secure their maiden appearance in the tournament (Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Iraq, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates)  with six of them taking part in the qualifiers for the first time.

Group A matches have been moved from Amman, Jordan, to Qatar, and rescheduled to take place from July 7 to 19, with further details regarding the venue and match timings to be confirmed. All other groups will complete their qualifiers between 23 June to 5 July.

With the final line-up of teams confirmed by Thursday 19 July, all eyes will then turn to Sydney Town Hall for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Final Draw on 29 July, where the 12 qualified teams discover their tournament paths.

Highlights from the Qualifiers:

Group A: Group A matches, featuring Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Singapore and Bhutan, have been rescheduled to take place from 7 to 19 July have been relocated from Amman, Jordan, to Qatar.

Group B: Mongolia face India on 23 June while Iraq and Timor-Leste, neither of whom have ever made it to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, will go head-to-head. Hosts Thailand will be aiming to match Japan’s record of 18 appearances when they open their campaign against Timor-Leste on 26 June.

Group C: Hosts Myanmar will kick off their journey against Turkmenistan, who are making their qualification debut on 29 June. The second fixture will feature Bahrain and Bangladesh, both raring to register a first-time appearance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Group D: Pakistan will kick off proceedings facing three-time champions and 2022 quarter-finalists Chinese Taipei on 29 June, while Indonesia will look to capitalise on home advantage to secure back-to-back qualifications when they square off against the Kyrgyz Republic, who are on a quest to make their maiden appearance.

Group E: Guam will embark on their qualification path for a fifth appearance at the Continental contest against the United Arab Emirates on 29 June. Hosts Vietnam – aiming to extend their streak to a 10th consecutive AFC Women’s Asian Cup – will do battle against Maldives, who are in search of their first-ever point in the qualifiers.

Group F: Nepal, aiming for a fourth appearance on the Continental stage will be, will face Laos, who are yet to feature in the tournament, on 29 June and will be followed by the hosts Uzbekistan taking on Sri Lanka, who are making their first appearance in the qualifiers.

Group G: 2022 quarter-finalists Philippines kick off their qualification campaign on 29 June against Saudi Arabia, who are participating in the qualifiers for the first time. The clash will be followed by Hong Kong (China) taking on hosts Cambodia, in their first-ever qualifying campaign.

Group H: Malaysia and Palestine do battle on 29 June. The Southeast Asians will look to mark their 10th qualification in the Continent’s most prestigious women’s football competition, while Palestine will be aiming for a historic debut in Australia 2026. The clash will be followed by three-time champions DPR Korea facing off against the host Tajikistan.

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AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Media Contact

Angela Habashy | General Manager – Media & Communications

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ LOC Office

E:  Angela.Habashy@womensasiancup.com.au | T: +61 (0) 424 747 049