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Women’s World Cup: Asian confederation launches stand-alone route to determine qualifiers

Asian Football Confederation says a three-round preliminary event from 2027 rather than Asian Games or Asian Cup will determine qualifiers

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China players applaud the fans after playing against New Zealand at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia. Photo: AFP

Asian sides will qualify for the 2031 Women’s World Cup via a stand-alone competition for the first time, the continent’s governing body said on Friday.

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The Asian Football Confederation announced it would create a three-round preliminary competition starting in 2027 to determine the continent’s qualifiers for the finals.

The host nation for the 2031 tournament has yet to be decided.

Participants had previously been decided by performances at the Asian Games or Women’s Asian Cup, with Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines joining co-hosts Australia as the continent’s representatives in the 2023 edition.

The new format will see the continent’s lowest-ranked teams feature in an opening round to determine qualifiers for a 24-nation second phase that will include the Asia’s top eight sides.

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Teams will then be divided into six four-nation groups to face off in a single round-robin centralised league format with the top-two finishers advancing to the third round.

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