2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification

2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
Tournament details
Host countriesJordan (Group A)
Thailand (Group B)
Myanmar (Group C)
Indonesia (Group D)
Vietnam (Group E)
Uzbekistan (Group F)
Cambodia (Group G)
Tajikistan (Group H)
Dates23 June – 5 July 2025[1][2]
7–19 July 2025 (Group A)[3]
Teams34 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)8 (in 8 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played50
Goals scored243 (4.86 per match)
Top scorer(s) Sabitra Bhandari
Kim Kyong-yong
(9 goals each)
← 2022
2029 →
All statistics correct as of 10 July 2025.

The 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification will be the qualification tournament for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup.[4]

The qualification tournament will decide eight of the twelve participating teams in the final tournament to be held in Australia.[5] Along with the host nation, the top three teams in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup final tournament also secured automatic qualification: China, South Korea and Japan.[6] A total of 34 teams submitted entries to participate in the qualifiers.

This tournament will also serve as the first stage of Asian qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2028 Olympic football tournament.

The teams will be divided into eight groups, with group winners qualifying to the final tournament.[7]

Draw

The draw took place on 27 March 2025, 15:00 MST (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.[8]

For the first time in the tournament's history, the seeding for both qualifiers and final draws is based on the latest FIFA Women's World Ranking at the time of the draw. Previously, the teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous final tournament and qualification rankings.[9]

On 26 February 2025, the AFC confirmed the eight associations that had expressed their intent to host qualification groups ahead of the draw. The qualifying tournament originally was to feature eight groups, with one group comprising five teams, while the remaining seven groups would each consist of four teams.[10] On 2 March 2025, FIFA lifted the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation,[11] clearing the way for Pakistan to enter qualification. As a result, 34 teams will enter qualification. Two groups will have five teams each, and the remaining six groups will each have four teams.

Automatically qualified for final tournament and not participating in qualification
  1. Australia (16) (as final tournament hosts)
  2. Japan (5)
  3. China (17)
  4. South Korea (19)
Participating in qualification
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5
  1. North Korea (9)
  2. Vietnam (H) (37)
  3. Philippines (41)
  4. Chinese Taipei (42)
  5. Thailand (H) (47)
  6. Uzbekistan (H) (50)
  7. Myanmar (H) (55)
  8. Iran (68)
  1. India (69)
  2. Jordan (H) (74)
  3. Hong Kong (80)
  4. Bahrain (92)
  5. Indonesia (H) (94)
  6. Guam (96)
  7. Nepal (99)
  8. Malaysia (102)
  1. Laos (107)
  2. United Arab Emirates (112)
  3. Cambodia (H) (118)
  4. Mongolia (126)
  5. Lebanon (131)
  6. Bangladesh (133)
  7. Kyrgyzstan (135)
  8. Palestine (136)
  1. Singapore (139)
  2. Turkmenistan (141)
  3. Tajikistan (H) (155)
  4. Pakistan (157)
  5. Sri Lanka (158)
  6. Timor-Leste (159)
  7. Maldives (163)
  8. Saudi Arabia (166)
  1. Bhutan (171)
  2. Iraq (173)
Notes
  • Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
  • (H): Qualification group hosts determined before the draw. These teams were taken from their respective pots and placed in a separate Host Pot, and could not be drawn in the same group.
Did not enter

Format and schedule

Schedule

The matches were played during the windows of 23 June – 5 July and 7–19 July 2025.[3]

Competition schedule
Matchday Group A[12] Group B Group C, D, E, F, G, H
Dates Matches Dates Matches Dates Matches
Matchday 1 7 July 2025 2 v 3, 5 v 4 23 June 2025 2 v 3, 5 v 4 29 June 2025 1 v 4, 2 v 3
Matchday 2 10 July 2025 4 v 1, 5 v 3 26 June 2025 4 v 1, 5 v 3 2 July 2025 3 v 1, 4 v 2
Matchday 3 13 July 2025 1 v 5, 2 v 4 29 June 2025 1 v 5, 2 v 4 5 July 2025 1 v 2, 3 v 4
Matchday 4 16 July 2025 1 v 3, 2 v 5 2 July 2025 1 v 3, 2 v 5 —
Matchday 5 19 July 2025 1 v 2, 4 v 3 5 July 2025 1 v 2, 4 v 3 —

Qualification tiebreakers

Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 7.2.2):[4]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among participating teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among participating teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among participating teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the participating teams,
  5. Goal difference from all group matches;
  6. Goals scored from all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Groups

Group A

  • Jordan was initially announced as the hosts of the group, with the matches scheduled to be played between July. Following the Israel-Iran War, matches were postponed to a later time and venue, which was subsequently confirmed to be from 23 June to 5 July in Qatar but later Jordan set to host after Iran–Israel war ceasefire .[C]
  • Times listed are UTC+3.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Bhutan 2 2 0 0 5 3 +2 6 Final tournament
2 Iran 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 3
3 Jordan (H) 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 3
4 Singapore 2 0 0 2 2 7 −5 0
5 Lebanon 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
Updated to match(es) played on 10 July 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Bhutan 3–2 Singapore
  • Bidha 1'
  • Edon 67'
  • Rai 87'
 Report
  • Ganeswaran 10'
  • Edon 26' (o.g.)
Lebanon 0–4 Jordan
Report
Singapore 0–4 Iran
Report
Bhutan 2–1 Lebanon
 Report
Iran v Bhutan
Jordan v Singapore
Lebanon v Iran
Jordan v Bhutan
Singapore v Lebanon
Iran v Jordan

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 India 4 4 0 0 24 1 +23 12 Final tournament
2 Thailand (H) 4 3 0 1 23 2 +21 9
3 Timor-Leste 4 1 1 2 3 9 −6 4
4 Iraq 4 1 1 2 5 14 −9 4
5 Mongolia 4 0 0 4 3 32 −29 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Mongolia 0–13 India
Report
Referee: Jon Sol-mi (North Korea)
Iraq 0–0 Timor-Leste
Report
Referee: Munirah Ha Ali (Malaysia)
Iraq 5–2 Mongolia
 Report
  • Bayanmunkh 8'
  • Badamkhatan 25'
Referee: Pak Un-jong (North Korea)
Timor-Leste 0–4 Thailand
Report
Referee: Azusa Sugino (Japan)
India 4–0 Timor-Leste
 Report
Thailand 7–0 Iraq
  • Wiranya 13', 77', 82'
  • Pichayatida 36'
  • Panittha 45+3'
  • Karnjanathat 58', 65' (pen.)
 Report
Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)
India 5–0 Iraq
 Report
Referee: Azusa Sugino (Japan)
Mongolia 0–11 Thailand
Report
  • Thawanrat 3', 90+2'
  • Saowalak 4'
  • Thanchanok 12', 45+1'
  • Pattaranan 29', 52', 79'
  • Karnjanathat 49' (pen.), 66', 90+3'
Referee: Nurul Ain Izatty (Malaysia)
Timor-Leste 3–1 Mongolia
  • V. Fernandes 29'
  • Da Conceição 56'
  • Costa 62'
 Report
  • B. da Costa 11' (o.g.)
Thailand 1–2 India
 Report
Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Bangladesh 3 3 0 0 16 1 +15 9 Final tournament
2 Myanmar (H) 3 2 0 1 15 2 +13 6
3 Bahrain 3 0 1 2 2 15 −13 1
4 Turkmenistan 3 0 1 2 2 17 −15 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Myanmar 8–0 Turkmenistan
 Report
Referee: Mu Mingxin (China)
Bahrain 0–7 Bangladesh
Report
Referee: Kanika Barman (India)
Bangladesh 2–1 Myanmar
 Report
  • Win Win 89'
Referee: Esraa Almbaiden (Jordan)
Turkmenistan 2–2 Bahrain
  • Çaryýewa 84'
  • Alymjanowa 89'
 Report
Referee: Om Choki (Bhutan)
Myanmar 6–0 Bahrain
 Report
Referee: Supiree Testhomya (Thailand)
Bangladesh 7–0 Turkmenistan
 Report
Referee: Mu Mingxin (China)

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Chinese Taipei 3 3 0 0 13 1 +12 9 Final tournament
2 Pakistan 3 2 0 1 4 9 −5 6
3 Indonesia (H) 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4 Kyrgyzstan 3 0 0 3 1 6 −5 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Chinese Taipei 8–0 Pakistan
  • Pu Hsin-hui 14', 86'
  • Chen Jin-wen 16'
  • Su Yu-hsuan 40'
  • Hsu Yi-yun 66'
  • Liu Yu-chiao 88'
  • He Jia-shiuan 90+1', 90+2'
 Report
Referee: Cha Min-ji (South Korea)
Indonesia 1–0 Kyrgyzstan
 Report
Kyrgyzstan 0–3 Chinese Taipei
Report
Referee: Ranjita Devi Tekcham (India)
Pakistan 2–0 Indonesia
 Report
Referee: Haruna Kanematsu (Japan)
Kyrgyzstan 1–2 Pakistan
  • Gaparova 69'
 Report
Referee: Yu Hong (China)
Chinese Taipei 2–1 Indonesia
 Report

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Vietnam (H) 3 3 0 0 17 0 +17 9 Final tournament
2 United Arab Emirates 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
3 Guam 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
4 Maldives 3 0 0 3 0 15 −15 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Guam 0–0 United Arab Emirates
Report
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)
Maldives 0–3 Guam
Report
Referee: Haneen Murad (Jordan)
United Arab Emirates 5–0 Maldives
  • Al-Zaabi 28', 45+4', 47'
  • Al-Hosani 68'
  • Al-Hazmi 90+1'
 Report
Referee: Anjana Rai (Nepal)
Vietnam 4–0 Guam
 Report
Referee: Alesar Baddour (Syria)

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Uzbekistan (H) 3 2 1 0 20 3 +17 7[a] Final tournament
2 Nepal 3 2 1 0 20 3 +17 7[a]
3 Laos 3 1 0 2 2 16 −14 3
4 Sri Lanka 3 0 0 3 0 20 −20 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Nepal and Uzbekistan were level on goal difference and goals scored. A penalty shoot-out was used to determine the final ranking.
Nepal   9–0 Laos
 Report
Referee: Wint War Tun (Myanmar)
Uzbekistan 10–0 Sri Lanka
 Report
Referee: Asaka Koizumi (Japan)
Sri Lanka 0–8 Nepal
Report
Referee: Wang Chieh (Chinese Taipei)
Laos 0–7 Uzbekistan
Report
Referee: Bùi Thị Thu Trang (Vietnam)
Laos 2–0 Sri Lanka
  • Anuradhini 72' (o.g.)
  • Inthaphone 90+2'
 Report
Referee: Park Se-jin (South Korea)
Uzbekistan 3–3 Nepal
 Report
Penalties
 4–2
Referee: Asaka Koizumi (Japan)

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Philippines 3 3 0 0 10 0 +10 9 Final tournament
2 Hong Kong 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3 Cambodia (H) 3 1 1 1 3 8 −5 4
4 Saudi Arabia 3 0 0 3 1 6 −5 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Philippines 3–0 Saudi Arabia
 Report
Referee: Sunita Thongthawin (Thailand)
Hong Kong 1–1 Cambodia
  • Leung H. 31' (pen.)
 Report
  • Sothan 82'
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)
Saudi Arabia 0–1 Hong Kong
Report
  • Tsang L.M. 62'
Referee: Nodira Mirzoeva (Tajikistan)
Cambodia 0–6 Philippines
Report
Referee: Oh Hyeon-jeong (South Korea)
Philippines 1–0 Hong Kong
 Report
Referee: Lê Thị Ly (Vietnam)
Cambodia 2–1 Saudi Arabia
  • Sovanmony 84'
  • Serysitha 90+5'
 Report
  • Al-Angari 79'
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 North Korea 3 3 0 0 26 0 +26 9 Final tournament
2 Malaysia 3 2 0 1 2 6 −4 6
3 Palestine 3 1 0 2 3 11 −8 3
4 Tajikistan (H) 3 0 0 3 0 14 −14 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Malaysia 1–0 Palestine
Farahiyah 86' Report
Referee: Yang Shu-ting (Chinese Taipei)
North Korea 10–0 Tajikistan
 Report
Referee: Rawdha Almansoori (United Arab Emirates)
Palestine 0–10 North Korea
Report
Referee: Roziyabonu Yusupova (Uzbekistan)
Tajikistan 0–1 Malaysia
Report Henrietta 90+2'
Referee: Trần Thị Thanh (Vietnam)
North Korea 6–0 Malaysia
 Report
Referee: Rawdha Almansoori (United Arab Emirates)
Palestine 3–0 Tajikistan
 Report
Referee: Gulshoda Saidqulova (Uzbekistan)

Qualified teams

The host country Australia qualified automatically, along with the top three teams from the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.[14] The following teams qualified for the tournament:

Team Method of
qualification 		Date of
qualification 		Finals
appearance 		Last
appearance 		FIFA Ranking Previous best
performance
Australia Hosts 15 May 2024 7th 2022 15 Champions (2010)
China 2022 champions 18 December 2024 16th 2022 17 Champions (1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2022)
South Korea 2022 runners-up 18 December 2024 14th 2022 21 Runners-up (2022)
Japan 2022 third place 18 December 2024 18th 2022 7 Champions (2014, 2018)
Bangladesh Group C winners 2 July 2025 1st — 128 Debut
Philippines Group G winners 5 July 2025 11th 2022 41 Semifinalists (2022)
Vietnam Group E winners 5 July 2025 10th 2022 37 Sixth place (2014, 2022)
India Group B winners 5 July 2025 10th 2022 70 Runners-up (1979, 1983)
Chinese Taipei Group D winners 5 July 2025 15th 2022 42 Champions (1977, 1979, 1981)
North Korea Group H winners 5 July 2025 11th 2010 9 Champions (2001, 2003, 2008)
Uzbekistan Group F winners 5 July 2025 6th 2003 51 Group Stage (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003)
TBD Group A winners July 2025

Goalscorers

There have been 243 goals scored in 50 matches, for an average of 4.86 goals per match (as of 10 July 2025). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

9 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

  • Rawan Nabeel Al Ali (against Bangladesh)
  • Dorji Edon (against Singapore)
  • Somrit Nimol (against Philippines)
  • Saysamone Inthaphone (against Nepal)
  • Sara Kord (against North Korea)
  • Ashani Anuradhini (against Laos)
  • Brigida Garcia da Costa (against Mongolia)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association is not affiliated with FIFA
  2. ^ a b c Country does not field a women's national team.
  3. ^ Group A's matches were originally scheduled to take place from 23 June to 5 July 2025. However, the AFC postponed the matches due to the ongoing Iran–Israel war.[12][3]

References

  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (July 2024 – June 2025)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 15 January 2025.
  2. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (July 2025 - June 2026)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 15 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026: Stage set for #WAC2026 Qualifiers kick-off". Asian Football Confederation. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  5. ^ "Australia and Uzbekistan confirmed as 2026 and 2029 AFC Women's Asian Cup hosts". the-AFC. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Entries for AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers confirmed". AFC. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Asian Football Calendar (February 2025 – January 2026)". AFC. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Stage set for #WAC2026 Qualifiers draw". AFC. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  9. ^ "AFC Women's Football Committee approves AFC's world-class competitions' roster". AFC. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  10. ^ "The AFC has entrusted Tajikistan with hosting the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification tournament". fft.tj. FFT. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Lifting of the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)" (PDF). FIFA circular. No. 1924. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  12. ^ a b Kwek, Kimberly (19 June 2025). "Lionesses' Asian Cup qualifiers in Jordan postponed amid escalating Middle East tensions". straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Việt Nam chốt xong sân nhà mới cho vòng loại Asian Cup". Thethao 24/7 (in Vietnamese). 27 March 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025. Theo thông tin từ VFF, bảng E - vòng loại nữ Asian Cup 2026 của ĐT nữ Việt Nam sẽ được tổ chức trên sân Việt Trì (Phú Thọ)
  14. ^ "Asian Football powerhouses qualify for AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026". Football Australia. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
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