AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: All you need to know about semifinals & FIFA Women's World Cup Playoffs
All four nations that have reached the semifinals have directly qualified for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
After two weeks of intense footballing action, we are down to the final four teams in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026. The tournament started with 12 teams that were split into three groups, following which there were four quarterfinal games.
Hosts Australia have made it to the semifinals, and they play China on Tuesday before Japan and South Korea take the field on Wednesday. All four of the semifinalists have also qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 that will be held in Brazil.
On the other hand, all is not lost for the losing quarterfinalists. With two more FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 slots up for grabs, Uzbekistan and Philippines, Chinese Taipei and North Korea will compete in one off games on Friday to determine who goes to Brazil next year.
Here is what you can expect from these upcoming games…
AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Semifinals
Semifinal 1: China vs Australia
Hosts Australia will take to the pitch in Perth as the favourites in front of their home crowd on Thursday. The Matildas beat North Korea 2-1 in the quarterfinals and are riding on Samantha Kerr’s impeccable form in the tournament so far. The overall head-to-head record between these two nations also favours Australia.
China on the other hand beat Vietnam in the quarterfinals and have maintained their perfect record. However, they are going to be missing their star midfielder Shuang Wang, who is suspended for the semifinal.
Semifinal 2: South Korea vs Japan
South Korea beat Uzbekistan 6-0 while Japan put seven past the Philippines to secure their respective places in the semifinal. The Koreans, ranked 21st in the world, have held their own against the competition in the Women’s Asian Cup. They have scored 15 goals in the tournament and have kept three clean sheets.
Ranked 8th in the FIFA Women’s rankings, Japan are the favourite to win the tournament outright. In four games, they have scored 24 games and have conceded none so far. Both their attack and defence has been on-point and we can expect fireworks in this must-watch semifinal.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Semifinal schedule
| Match | Team 1 vs Team 2 | Date (IST) | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1 | Australia vs China | 17 March | 3:30 PM IST |
| Semi-final 2 | South Korea vs Japan | 18 March | 2:30 PM IST |
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Playoffs
Playoff 1: Uzbekistan vs Philippines
Both Uzbekistan and Philippines were heavily beaten in the quarterfinals by South Korea and Japan respectively. The two nations finished third in their respective groups and qualified to the quarterfinals as the best third-placed teams.
Expect Philippines (#41) to have the edge over Uzbekistan (#49) as they are ranked seven places higher in the FIFA Women’s Rankings. The former also had a better defensive record in the group stage.
Playoff 2: Chinese Taipei vs North Korea
Ranked 9th in the FIFA Women’s Rankings, North Korea will go into this match as the favourites. They fought hard against Australia in the quarterfinals but were eliminated due to the odd goal.
Chinese Taipei on the other hand took China to extra time, however, their players are not as experienced when it comes to these high pressure games.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Playoff schedule
| Match | Team 1 vs Team 2 | Date (IST) | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff 1 | Uzbekistan vs Philippines | 19 March | 8:30 AM IST |
| Playoff 2 | Chinese Taipei vs North Korea | 19 March | 2:30 PM IST |
Where to watch the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 semifinals and Women’s World cup qualifiers?
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 semifinals and Women’s World Cup qualifiers will be live-streamed on the Fancode app in India.
DAZN will broadcast the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 matches live in Japan, whereas the host country, Australia, has given its hosting rights to Paramount.
In the Middle East countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan, viewers can tune in to beIN Sports for the live action of this game.Find more about different continents and streaming options here..
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Aasif, a football fan turned writer, has been writing about the sport since 2020. Based in Chennai, it is no surprise that love for Chennaiyin FC runs in his blood. Apart from Indian football, Aasif has also written and edited articles extensively about European football.