The foundation of the AFC Women's Asian Cup™
Kuala Lumpur: With the draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ just two weeks away, the-AFC.com retraces the history of the continent's premier women's football tournament.
The AFC Women's Asian Cup has played a pivotal role in developing Asia's teams and it is a fact that the competitiveness of the women's game in the continent is the reason why Asian teams are a force on the world stage, with nine currently ranked in the top 50 of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings.
Initially held on a biennial basis, the inaugural edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup was in 1975 with Hong Kong the host. New Zealand would claim the title of champions, with Thailand second, Australia third and Malaysia fourth.
The 1977 edition would see Chinese Taipei claim the title, as they defeated Thailand 3-1 in the final on home soil. Singapore defeated Indonesia 2-0 for third place.
Chinese Taipei’s dominance would continue into the 1979 and 1981 editions as they claimed back to back honours while Thailand, who had to settle for the runners-up position in the 1975 and 1977 tournaments, claimed the title for the first time in 1983.
That was to be followed by a period of unmatched dominance as China PR took a firm grip on the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
China PR made their tournament debut in 1986, and immediately showed their might by winning seven consecutive titles without losing a single match from the 1986 to 1999 editions, and their excellence would see them make inroads on the world stage as well.
A fourth place finish in the FIFA World Cup 1995 was followed by China PR finishing runners-up to hosts the United States four years later, only being denied the title in by a heartbreaking penalty shootout.
The next two AFC Women's Asian Cup would see DPR Korea exerting a hold on the title as they won the 2001 and 2003 Championship.
China PR, third and second in the 2001 and 2003 editions, regained their supremacy in 2006 as they defeated Australia on penalties for a record extending eighth AFC Women's Asian Cup title.
There was not to be a ninth title two years later as DPR Korea emerged champions for the third time, beating China PR 2-1 in the final.
There was to be disappointment for DPR Korea in the 2010 edition as Australia defeated them on penalties to clinch the Continent's premier women's football title for the first time.
The AFC Women's Asian Cup then became a quadrennial tournament and the 2014 edition was the perfect platform for Japan to clinch their first ever title.
They defeated Australia in the final and it was the icing on the cake for the Nadeshiko as it came three years after they become Asia’s first ever FIFA Women's World Cup winners, which was followed by a runners-up finish in 2015.
Japan made it back-to-back titles four years later, with Kumi Yokoyama’s 84th minute strike deciding the final against Australia, with China PR finishing third after defeating Thailand 3-1 in the playoff.
The 2022 edition was expanded to 12 teams and fittingly, the final was a classic as China PR stunningly reclaimed the title after a 16-year wait.
Down 2-0 against Korea Republic at the end of the first half, China PR produced a comeback for the ages after the break with a Tang Jiali penalty in the 68th minute sparking their revival.
Zhang Linyan drew them level four minutes later and they would go on to complete the comeback with Xiao Yuyi striking the winner in the third minute of time added on.
The AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026™ promises to be another thriller, with the top five teams earning a place in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
1975 - New Zealand
1977 - Chinese Taipei
1979 - Chinese Taipei
1981 - Chinese Taipei
1983 - Thailand
1986 - China PR
1989 - China PR
1991 - China PR
1993 - China PR
1995 - China PR
1997 - China PR
1999 - China PR
2001 - DPR Korea
2003 - DPR Korea
2006 - China PR
2008 - DPR Korea
2010 - Australia
2014 – Japan
2018 – Japan
2022 – China PR
