The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is a quadrennial women’s football championship for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries. It is the prominent women’s football championship for national teams in the AFC zone. The tournament is widely known for its other names, such as the Asian Women’s Football Championship and the Asian Women’s Championship. There have been 19 tournaments, with Japan currently reigning the throne. The league also functions as a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.
The tournament was increased from eight to twelve teams for the first time. It will be the last round of Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand. Australia has already advanced as a co-host. Five teams will qualify for the World Cup straight through the knockout rounds, while two will compete in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The AFC Women’s Football Committee proposed India to host the event, as it was chosen in June 2020. It will be the nation’s second time hosting the tournament, with the last being in 1979. On January 28, 2021, the AFC announced that the competition would be held between January 20 and February 6, 2022.
In an official release, President of the All-India Football Federation, Praful Patel, said, “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is the flagship tournament for women’s football in our continent, and I’m very proud and happy that India is going to host the 2022 edition of the tournament. With the conclusion of the draw, we have achieved yet another significant milestone en route to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022.”
He also added, “I’m extremely excited and am eagerly looking forward to the wonderful games that we are going to see in India from January 20, 2022, onward. On behalf of everyone, I would like to wish every visiting team the very best for this prestigious tournament. Our Goal for All through this tournament is to remain committed to making women’s football more popular and dynamic across the entire Asian continent”.
India is the third-highest ranked team, behind China and Chinese Taipei but ahead of Iran, with a FIFA ranking of 57. The draw was conducted in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, at the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) headquarters.
Following the conclusion of the qualifiers, where Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Korea Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam secured their spots in the Finals, the excitement surrounding Asia’s top tier women’s national team competition is beginning to build.
When the competition takes place from January 20 to February 6, they will be joined by the top three teams from the 2018 championship, namely Japan, Australia, China, and host India. On January 20, India will play Iran in the tournament’s first match at D Y Patil Sports Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Group Stage
Group A
- India
- China
- Chinese Taipei
- Iran
Group B
- Australia
- Thailand
- Philippines
- Indonesia
Group C
- Japan
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Myanmar
