Australia has been announced as the host nation of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup.
Australia was the only country to submit a bid to host the tournament, with the head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) saying “the Asian football family joins me in reinforcing our confidence in Football Australia to elevate the ever-evolving stature and growth of women’s football in Asia”.
Football Australia
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said Australia was “profoundly honoured” to host the tournament, which the body reports will generate up to $260 million for the local economy.
It comes after the success of the Matildas in 2023 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they placed fourth.
More details
Matches will take place across NSW, Queensland, and WA. The 12 teams will be split into three groups of four. At the 2022 Asian Cup, hosted by India, Australia was knocked out by South Korea in the quarter-finals, with China the eventual winner.
According to the latest FIFA rankings, Japan is the highest-ranked Asian team at world number seven. Australia is ranked 12th but was the highest-ranked Asian team at last year’s World Cup.
The next men’s Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
