AFC Women’s Football Committee confident #WAC2026 will be catalyst for future growth
The AFC Women’s Football Committee today reinforced its belief in Football Australia and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to stage the most successful edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ in history.
30/07/2025 08:59:15
Leading its fourth meeting on the eve of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Final Draw in Sydney, Chairperson Ms. Kanya Keomany emphasised the Committee’s conviction in the potential of the 21st edition of Asia’s flagship women’s national team competition to serve as a catalyst in unlocking the promise of the women’s game across the Continent.
Chairperson Ms. Keomany said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to convey our appreciation to Football Australia and the LOC for their impeccable planning and delivery thus far. We applaud them for their commitment towards organising a spectacular showpiece that will not only elevate the women’s game but also establish the gold standard for future editions of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™.
“We wish all our 12 teams the very best of success ahead of tomorrow’s draw and in their preparation ahead of the Finals in March, and we look forward to a true celebration that will engage the millions of passionate fans like never before.”
Turning its attention to another game-changer in women’s football, the Committee also approved the principles of the titleholder slot in the AFC Women’s Champions League™ (AWCL) for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. Moving forward, the winners of the Continent’s premier women’s club competition will be granted a direct slot in subsequent editions.
Further, in the event the titleholder’s Member Association (MA) does not submit an entry to the AWCL, or is ineligible to participate, the titleholder slot shall be annulled and not be redistributed. Additionally, the country protection principle shall be applied for the Group Stage draw, should there be two (2) clubs from the same MA in the Group Stage.
At the same time, it was agreed that the AFC Women’s Club Competitions Ranking of the 2024/25, 2025/26 and the 2026/27 seasons – to be published at the end of each edition – will determine the slot allocation for the 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons respectively, with the same principles to apply moving forward.
The Committee members were also presented with the current progress of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations Roadmap, which includes the proposed women’s club licensing criteria and aims to ensure that women’s clubs across Asia are given sufficient time to familiarise with the club licensing requirements whilst upholding the highest professional standards as the AFC strives to build a more competitive future for women’s club football.
Meanwhile, the Competition Regulations of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ 2027 and 2028 were approved by the Committee, which also received updates on all women’s football matters in the areas of Competitions, Referees, and Technical since their last meeting in November 2024.
All decisions need to be ratified by the AFC Executive Committee before taking effect.
Source: AFC
