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Reuters

Asian sides will qualify for the 2031 Women’s World Cup via a stand-alone competition for the first time, the continent’s governing body said on Friday.
The Asian Football Confederation announced it would create a three-round preliminary competition starting in 2027 to determine the continent’s qualifiers for the finals.
The host nation for the 2031 tournament has yet to be decided.
Participants had previously been decided by performances at the Asian Games or Women’s Asian Cup, with Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines joining co-hosts Australia as the continent’s representatives in the 2023 edition.
The new format will see the continent’s lowest-ranked teams feature in an opening round to determine qualifiers for a 24-nation second phase that will include the Asia’s top eight sides.
Teams will then be divided into six four-nation groups to face off in a single round-robin centralised league format with the top-two finishers advancing to the third round.
Three groups of four teams will then compete in a home-and-away group format with the number of qualifiers for the finals determined by the continent’s allocation.

The next edition of the Women’s World Cup will be played in Brazil in 2027, with the Women’s Asian Cup – to be hosted by Australia one year earlier – acting for the last time as the continent’s qualifiers for the finals.
The decision to create the qualifying tournament was taken by the confederation’s executive committee in a series of moves to overhaul the calendar for women’s football in the region.
A new two-phase qualifying competition for the 2029 edition of the Women’s Asian Cup, to be played in Uzbekistan, has also been launched.
The preliminaries for the 2028 Olympic Games will be streamlined to feature the top eight finishers from the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, down from the 24-nation qualifiers that determined Asia’s representatives in Paris this year.


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Women’s World Cup: Asian confederation launches stand-alone route to determine qualifiers

Fifa Women's World Cup

China players applaud the fans after playing against New Zealand at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia. Photo: AFP

Philippines and South Korea at the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, which usually serves as a World Cup route. Photo: AP

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Kenneth Fok Kai-kong. Photo: Handout

Kai Tak Sports Park, which is under construction, and the 60,000-seat sport stadium in Nansha would meet Fifa requirements. Photo: Dickson Lee

Kenneth Fok said the experience of coordinating the National Games would make a joint hosting arrangement feasible. Photo: Handout

China has hosted the World Cup twice before, in 1991 and in 2007, when the national team lost to Norway in the quarter-final (above). Photo: AFP

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Spain’s players celebrate after winning the women’s 2023 World Cup. Photo: Reuters

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Fifa has banned ousted former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales from the sport for three years. Photo: AP

Rubiales’ lawyers have yet to comment on the Fifa’s decision to ban him. Photo: AFP

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Spain players celebrate with the trophy after winning the World Cup. Photo: Reuters

England’s Ella Toone walks past the trophy after collecting her runners-up medal. Photo: Reuters

Spain’s Olga Carmona celebrates her team’s win.Photo: AFP

Spain’s Olga Carmona celebrates scoring her side’s goal. Photo: dpa

England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps save a penalty from Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso. Photo: AP

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Sport

Football

Asian Football Confederation says a three-round preliminary event from 2027 rather than Asian Games or Asian Cup will determine qualifiers


Asian Football Confederation says a three-round preliminary event from 2027 rather than Asian Games or Asian Cup will determine qualifiers.
