Stage Set for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Draw
25 March, 2025
Click here to watch the live official draw ceremony of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 TM Qualifiers on Thursday, 27 March 2025, at 6 pm (AEDT).
The journey to Asia’s biggest stage in women’s football kicks off for 34 national teams with the official draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026TM Qualifiers taking place in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 27 March at 6 pm (AEDT).
From 23 June to 5 July, the teams will compete for the final eight prized places at the 21st edition of the prestigious tournament. They’ll join host nation Australia and the top three sides from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022TM — reigning champions China PR, runners-up Korea Republic, and third-placed Japan.
The teams, divided into six groups of four teams and two groups of five, will compete in a group stage format across centralised venues in Cambodia, Indonesia, Jordan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The eight group winners will complete the line-up for next year’s tournament, scheduled to be staged across Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney from 1 – 26 March 2026.
The qualifying contest will see three former champions—DPR Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand—return for a chance to reclaim the crown, while 18 teams – Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Iraq, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – will aim for their maiden appearance in the 2026 Finals.
To confirm the pathways, the teams will have their names drawn from five pots, with their seedings based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking published on 6 March.
The pot allocations for the draw, with teams arranged according to rankings and group hosts placed in the Hosts Pot, are as follows:
Hosts Pot: Vietnam (37, seeded 1st), Thailand (47, 1st), Uzbekistan (50, 1st), Myanmar (55, 1st), Jordan (74, 2nd), Indonesia (94, 2nd), Cambodia (118, 3rd), Tajikistan (155, 4th)
Pot 1: DPR Korea (9), Philippines (41), Chinese Taipei (42), IR Iran (68)
Pot 2: India (69), Hong Kong, China (80), Bahrain (92), Guam (96), Nepal (99), Malaysia (102)
Pot 3: Laos (107), UAE (112), Mongolia (126), Lebanon (131), Bangladesh (133), Kyrgyz Republic (135), Palestine (136)
Pot 4: Singapore (139), Turkmenistan (141), Pakistan (157), Sri Lanka (158), Timor-Leste (159), Maldives (163), Saudi Arabia (166)
Pot 5: Bhutan (171), Iraq (173)
