The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification is set to commence next week, with games to be played in Jordan, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, and Tajikistan.
Only 12 teams can qualify for next year’s showpiece event, with four spots already taken. Australia have gained automatic qualification as the hosts, while China, South Korea, and Japan are also in after taking the podium spots in the 2022 edition of the tournament. China won their record ninth title at the time, with South Korea and Japan in second and third place.
This means that the 34 other teams will vie for the eight remaining spots. The topnotchers in Groups A to H will book their tickets to Australia next year, so there’s a huge sense of urgency to win every game.
With the qualifiers just around the corner, continue reading below for the latest AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2025 updates.
China suffer minor setback
China are the winningest side in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup. Since the tournament’s inception in 1975, China have amassed nine titles, including a whopping seven-peat from 1986 to 1999, and they also won the most recent one in 2022 in India.
Because they’re already in for next year, China don’t need to do much. However, they’re still busy preparing for the showpiece event by engaging in several international friendlies and mini-tournaments abroad.
China recently finished third in the Pinatar Cup last February. In the four-team round-robin tournament, the Steel Roses notched a 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei, a 1-1 draw against Canada, and a 2-0 loss to Mexico. Canada won the Cup after going undefeated in the short competition with two wins and one draw.
China bounced back by winning the Yongchuan International Tournament for a record sixth time. In the four-team tournament, the Steel Roses won 5-0 against Uzbekistan and 5-1 against Thailand on home soil.
Most recently, China suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against the USA in an international friendly held at Allianz Field. The Steel Roses conceded goals from Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey, and Lindsey Heaps, and they only had two shots on target. The rematch between the two sides was cancelled. Despite the minor setback, the SBOTOP AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2025 odds back China to make another deep run in next year’s tournament.
Australia’s young star faces long spell on the sidelines
Australia aim to win their second AFC Women’s Asian Cup next year to give their home fans something to write about, but they’ll have to do it without one of their star players. Mary Fowler faces a race against time to be ready for her country’s hosting after sustaining a torn ACL in her right knee while playing for Manchester City in the FA Women’s Cup semifinals.
“I’m really disappointed to be facing some time out of the game,” Fowler said. “It’s never easy when something like this happens, especially when you’ve been working so hard and feeling good. The road ahead will be challenging, but I’m ready to take it on.”
“There’s still so much I want to achieve, and I’ll be using this time to grow in every way I can. I’m committed to doing the work, staying positive and coming back better than ever,” she added.
Fowler has 64 caps for the Matildas and has scored 15 times. She just turned 22 and is expected to lead Australia’s frontline for the foreseeable future. With Fowler on the mend, Australia will likely rely on Caitlin Foord and Michelle Heyman in the final third since fellow striker Sam Kerr is also injured.
Overall, Australia boast one of the deepest teams in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Arsenal defender Steph Catley is the Matildas’ captain and is flanked by fellow Women’s Super League campaigners Courtney Nevin, Clare Hunt, Charli Grant, Clare Wheeler, Emily van Egmond, and Kyra Crooney-Cross, with Joe Montemurro named as new head coach.
South Korea not in their best form
South Korea have played in a ton of international friendlies since they failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Taeguk Ladies are not in their best form, going winless in their last four exhibition matches.
Shin Sang-Woo’s side dropped back-to-back matches against Australia last April, followed by a loss and a stalemate against Colombia earlier this June. During their four-game winless run, South Korea have only scored one goal, courtesy of Min-Young Jung.
The Taeguk Ladies have an experienced squad filled with top local talent and European-based talent looking to win it all for the first time next year.
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