Australia 2026 to Set New Benchmark for Women's Asian Cup: AFC on Professionalism & Profit Boost
AFC hails Australia's Women's World Cup experience as key to making the 2026 Asian Cup a benchmark in quality, professionalism, and profitability. Tournament kicks off March 1.
Australia hosts Women's Asian Cup 2026, aiming to raise standards & close gap with Europe...
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has stated that Australia's successful experience co-hosting the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will elevate the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 to unprecedented levels of professionalism, quality, and profitability. The tournament kicks off next month (March 1) in Australia.
Australia is set to raise the bar for the Women's Asian Cup, leveraging its experience from hosting the Women's World Cup to deliver a top-notch tournament. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) expects Australia 2026 to “set a new benchmar” for quality, professionalism, and global visibility.
The 21st edition of the tournament kicks off on Sunday, with hosts Australia facing the Philippines in Perth. Other top contenders include champions China and 2011 World Cup winners Japan, all vying for the trophy on March 21.
Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 Women's World Cup, and Aussie support propelled them to the semis.
The tournament was a huge hit, raising the global profile of women's football big time.
“The expectation is that Australia 2026 will set a new benchmark for the competition in terms of quality, professionalism and global visibility,” Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Windsor John said.
“Following the success of the Women's World Cup, the infrastructure, operational expertise and public appetite for women's football are already well established.
“That provides a strong foundation for the Women's Asian Cup to further elevate its profile and we are already seeing record ticket sales.
“This edition is about consolidating the progress made in recent years and strengthening the tournament's identity as Asia's premier women's national team competition.”
Asian teams have been struggling to match the top teams since Japan's 2015 World Cup final appearance.
Their loss to the US was the last time an Asian team made it that far in the global competition.
The UEFA Women's Champions League got a massive funding boost, taking European standards to new heights.
📸 Sam Kerr and 🇦🇺 Australia women’s national soccer team at Media Day.
— Amy. (@amara_faitho) February 27, 2026
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 kicks off on Sunday, 1 March 2026, as hosts Australia face the Philippines 🇵ðŸ‡.#WAC2026 pic.twitter.com/TZtUyXfYoY
This left other regions struggling to catch up, but the AFC is working to close the gap with their own Champions League, launched last year. AFC's John says it'll take time to see results.
“Closing the gap requires long-term structural alignment rather than short-term measures,” he said.
“Asia has previously produced a women's world champion in Japan, and the objective now is to build consistent competitiveness in an increasingly professional global environment.
“We are already witnessing multiple successes on the youth stage with North Korea shining in that category.
“One of the most important recent developments has been the launch of the AFC Women's Champions League, which has energised the women's club ecosystem.
“It provides elite international competition at club level, encourages greater investment in domestic leagues and increases player mobility within the continent.”
The 2026 Women's Asian Cup will be the last to double as World Cup qualifiers.
From next cycle, World Cup preliminaries will be separate, aiming to boost international matches played over four years.
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