Historical Shift for Asian Women's World Cup Qualifiers

For the first time, Asian countries will qualify for the Women's World Cup through a dedicated competition. The Asian Football Confederation announced this new format starting 2027. Previous qualifiers were decided via the Asian Games or Women's Asian Cup. This change marks a significant overhaul in regional women's football.

For the first time, Asian sides will qualify for the Women's World Cup via a standalone competition, announced the AFC on Friday.

The Asian Football Confederation revealed a new three-round preliminary competition to start in 2027, determining the continent's qualifiers for the 2031 finals. The host nation for the 2031 tournament remains undecided.

Historically, qualifiers were decided through performances in the Asian Games or Women's Asian Cup. However, starting in 2027, the lowest-ranked teams will compete in the opening round to secure spots in a 24-nation second phase, including the top eight Asian teams.

Teams will be split into six groups of four, competing in a single round-robin centralised league format. The top-two finishers will advance to the third round, where three groups of four teams will play home-and-away matches, with qualifiers determined by continental allocation.

In addition to this format overhaul, Brazil will host the 2027 Women's World Cup, with the Women's Asian Cup in Australia serving as the final traditional qualifier in 2026. A new qualifying competition for the 2029 Women's Asian Cup in Uzbekistan has also been introduced.

Streamlining is evident for the 2028 Olympic Games preliminaries, featuring the top eight finishers from the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, down from the previous 24-nation qualifiers in 2023.

(With inputs from agencies.)