2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup match schedule confirms spectacular battles | OneFootball

2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup match schedule confirms spectacular battles | OneFootball

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·30 July 2025

2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup match schedule confirms spectacular battles

Article image:2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup match schedule confirms spectacular battles
Article image:2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup match schedule confirms spectacular battles

The stage has been officially set for the Continent’s flagship women’s national team showpiece, following the conclusion of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Final Draw on Tuesday evening.Via AFC press release

Taking place at the iconic Sydney Town Hall, the spectacular ceremony charted the route to ultimate glory for the 12 contenders. The official match schedule has now been confirmed by the AFC and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), and can be accessed here.


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Almost 20 years after first hosting the tournament, Australia will once again welcome Asia’s finest for the 21st edition of the Finals. The home side will kick things off at the Perth Stadium on March 1, 2026, where a capacity crowd of 60,000 is expected for their 5pm clash against the Philippines. This will be their 35th match since Australia joined the AFC in 2006, as well as the 380th fixture to be played overall in Finals history.

It will also pit this pair against each other for the second consecutive tournament after first meeting in Finals history in 2022. The Matildas ran out 4-0 winners then, but the Philippines recovered admirably to reach the Semi-finals—their best-ever placing, which also secured a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup debut for the Southeast Asians.

Spectacular battles to look out for

China vs. Bangladesh: The 23rd debutant team in Finals history, as well as the only one at Australia 2026, Bangladesh arguably could not have asked for a tougher first-ever match as they go up against defending champions China on March 3 at 7pm at the Western Sydney Stadium.

Having registered neither a goal nor a point in their two previous qualifying campaigns prior to the current one, the South Asians succeeded in remarkable fashion on their third try by winning all three Group C matches to seal their berth in style and will not be cowed come March despite being the lowest FIFA-ranked side of the 12 teams.

At the other end of the spectrum, powerhouses China are gunning for back-to-back crowns after ending a 16-year title drought in 2022, which would also extend their record haul to 10 trophies. This will be their 16th Finals appearance—achieved in consecutive fashion—and the Steel Roses are also the only side to have never placed outside of the top four.

North Korea vs. Uzbekistan: Two teams making long-awaited returns to the Continent’s biggest stage will go head-to-head on March 3 as the Western Sydney Stadium provides the backdrop for the 1pm kick-off between North Korea and Uzbekistan.

Set for their 11th Finals involvement but the first since 2010, three-time champions North Korea (2001, 2003, 2008) will relish their chances of claiming another crown and can call on talent from their youth teams, who won the most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup trophies at both U17 and U20 levels.

For Uzbekistan, qualification for a sixth time and first since 2003 was confirmed in dramatic fashion—via a penalty shoot-out against Nepal as the final group tiebreaker—and continues a recent resurgence for the 2022 CAFA Championship winners and 2022 Asian Games semi-finalists.

Openers by venue

Five world-class stadiums across three vibrant cities will provide the backdrop for the thrilling showdowns in Australia: two each in Perth and Sydney, and the remaining venue in Gold Coast.

A day after the opening match, the Gold Coast Stadium welcomes South Korea and Iran on March 2 for the second encounter in Group A at 7pm. Located in the heart of Robina, the design of the 28,000-capacity venue reflects the region’s famed coastal identity. It will host three more Group Stage fixtures thereafter as well as the two crucial Play-off matches on March 19 that feature the four defeated Quarter-finalists, with the winners qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

The first match to take place at the Western Sydney Stadium is between Group B pair North Korea and Uzbekistan on March 3, scheduled to begin at 1pm. Located in Parramatta, the picturesque 30,000-seater venue will also host a further five Group Stage matches.

On March 4, the Perth Rectangular Stadium hosts its first match of the tournament —a 1pm battle between Japan and Taiwan in Group C. This state-of-the-art venue, with a capacity of 19,500 spectators, will stage five more thrilling Group Stage encounters, culminating in two Quarter-final clashes on March 13 and 14.

Stadium Australia swings into action on March 8 when it hosts Australia’s final Group A fixture against South Korea at 8pm. The 79,500-seater stadium, the largest of the five venues, will then host two Quarter-final matches on March 14 and 15, a Semi-final on March 18, and the ultimate face-off—the Final on March 21 at 8pm.

*All timings indicated are in the respective local times.

Group B: North Korea, China, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan

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