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Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Qualifiers kick off with Group B action on Monday.

The action promises to be fast and frantic and ahead of the first kick of the ball, the-AFC.com takes a look at what is at stake and what can be expected over the coming days.

Already through

Defending champions China PR, 2022 runners-up Korea Republic, Japan and hosts Australia have already confirmed their places in the Finals, which will be played on March 1-21, 2026.

Eight spots at stake

Expanded to 12 teams from the 2022 edition, only the eight group winners will advance to the Finals. The teams in the Qualifiers have been divided into two groups of five and six groups of four.

Record entries

The 34 teams vying for places in the Finals is a new record, surpassing the previous best of 24 sides entering the Qualifiers for the 2022 edition. This will be the seventh qualifying tournament for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, with the first contested for the 2006 edition.

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Debut appearance

Bhutan, Cambodia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Turkmenistan will be featuring in the Qualifiers for the first time.

On a mission to create history

Eighteen 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 - are seeking a maiden appearance in the Finals.

Former champs in the fray

Chinese Taipei, DPR Korea and Thailand are former champions aiming to advance from the Qualifiers. Chinese Taipei and DPR Korea are three-time winners while Thailand lifted the trophy in 1983. China PR have won the title record nine times while Japan are two-time winners with Australia emerging champions in 2010.

Group A

Group A matches have been relocated from Amman, Jordan, to Qatar, and rescheduled to take place on July 7-19, 2025, with further details regarding the venue and match timings to be confirmed in due course.

Finals Draw

The draw for the Continental showpiece will be staged at the iconic Sydney Town Hall on July 28, with the city to also host the final on March 21, 2026.

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