The Importance of Asian Women's Club Football

AFC Women's Football Committee reinforces the importance of women's club football

The AFC Women’s Football Committee’s commitment towards strengthening the foundations of the women’s club game was further underlined at its fifth meeting held in Chonburi, Thailand on Saturday. Chaired by Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, the Committee praised the continued efforts of the AFC’s Member Associations in developing women’s club football against the backdrop of the ongoing AFC Women's Club Championship 2022 - Pilot Tournament. 

For the first time in the history of Asian football, the AFC Women's Club Championship 2022 - Pilot Tournament witnessed the participation of teams from both the East and West regions, with the former reaching its decisive final match day in Thailand on Sunday, while the latter is scheduled to kick-off in Uzbekistan later today. 

The Committee also held in-depth discussions on the impending launch of the AFC Women’s Champions League in 2024, which will be a significant game-changer for women’s football, agreeing on the overall considerations, as well as the entry and calendar principles with more information on the format and final details to be confirmed and communicated in 2023. The Committee reviewed the Asian Qualifiers format for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2024, featuring 33 teams in entry. 

Necessary adjustments were made to the first two rounds in order to minimise the logistical challenges for the participating teams. Additionally, members of the Committee approved the proposed dates of the AFC Women’s Youth Competitions in 2025 and 2026, namely the Qualifiers and Finals of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026, while providing the Administration the mandate to revise the dates where necessary. 

 The AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ Qualifiers Rounds 1 and 2 will be held from March 8 to 16, 2025 and August 11 to 17, 2025 respectively while the Finals is scheduled to be staged from March 23 to April 4, 2026. Meanwhile, the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ Qualifiers Rounds 1 and 2 are set to take place from April 26 to May 4, 2025, and September 22 to 28, 2025, with the Finals planned for April 27 to May 10, 2026. 

The Committee also approved the Competitions Regulations for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™, and noted the completion of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ History Book, which is accessible via the respective link.

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