Australia will host the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup from March 1st to March 21st, the Asian Football Confederation confirmed. The tournament, featuring twelve national teams, will be held across five venues in three host cities.
This marks the second time Australia has hosted the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, previously doing so in 2006. Australia also co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with New Zealand, a landmark event as the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be hosted by two nations.
The 2026 edition will serve as the final qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil. However, this will be the last time the Asian Cup directly qualifies teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cup; starting with the 2031 edition, a standalone qualifying tournament will be implemented.
In a new development, the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will also function as the penultimate stage of qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The eight quarter-finalists will advance to the 2028 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
China currently holds the title of defending champions. Australia was selected as the host nation by the AFC Women’s Football Committee on March 15, 2024, following the withdrawal of bids from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. The initial expression of interest deadline for hosting was July 31, 2022.
Ticket sales have begun, with prices starting at $20.00 AUD for adult tickets at Western Sydney Stadium for a match on March 6th, 2026, according to Ticketmaster.
