AFC Women’s Football Committee approves major reforms to youth competitions
China PR confirmed as host for 2028 and 2030 U20 tournaments.
The AFC Women’s Football Committee praised the growing quality of the women’s game across the continent, highlighted by the successful staging of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia. The tournament will conclude with a final between Australia and Japan at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Chairing the fifth meeting, Kanya Keomany also congratulated six Asian teams for qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 and extended her best wishes to the finalists and playoff contenders.
The committee approved the recommendation of the Chinese Football Association to host the 2028 and 2030 editions of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup. This decision means China will host the tournament for a record seventh and eighth time.
Structural reforms proposed for youth competitions
Following earlier changes in men’s competitions, the committee recommended similar structural reforms for both the AFC U17 and U20 Women’s Asian Cups after an extensive review.
AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers Format
The committee agreed that regional associations will organise their own qualifying competitions starting from the 2027 qualifiers.
Based on performance analysis, slot allocation has been finalised as:
- ASEAN: 4
- East: 4
- Central: 1
- South: 1
- West: 1
- Host: 1
The host nation will qualify automatically, while all other teams must go through qualifiers. Competitions will take place within two windows: July–September or December, with finals scheduled in the following year.
AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers Format
A new two-phase qualification system featuring promotion and relegation has been approved to improve competitiveness.
Qualification phase:
- 20 teams divided into five groups of four
- Top two teams from each group and the best second-placed team qualify for the finals
- Bottom teams face relegation to the development phase
Development phase:
- Around 19 teams divided into four groups
- Top teams earn promotion to the qualification phase for the next cycle
- Focus on development and competitive exposure
Key features of the new system
The 2027 qualifiers will use current seeding, while future seedings will depend on promotion and relegation outcomes. The single-round format remains unchanged, and only the host nation will qualify automatically.
The AFC administration will continue working with regional bodies to finalise operational details and make necessary adjustments based on team entries.
Additionally, regulations for the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 and amendments to the U17 Women’s Asian Cup regulations for 2027 and 2028 were approved.
Who will host the 2028 and 2030 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup?
China has been selected to host both editions.
What major change was introduced in U20 qualifiers?
A new two-phase system with promotion and relegation has been approved.
How will U17 qualifiers be conducted?
Regional Associations will organise qualifying tournaments from 2027 onwards.
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A sports journalist for over 4 years, Triyasha has been covering Indian Football and Kanbaddi meticulously, She specialises in in-depth knowledge of the game, the players and the footballing infrastructure and heritage in India.