AFC Women’s Football Committee reinforces importance of club football for its members

The AFC Women’s Football Committee’s commitment to strengthening the foundations of the women’s club game was further underlined at its fifth meeting held in Chonburi, Thailand on Saturday.

Chaired by Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, the committee praised the continued efforts of the AFC’s member associations in developing women’s club football against the backdrop of the continuing AFC Women’s Club Championship 2022 — Pilot Tournament.

For the first time in the history of Asian football, the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2022 — Pilot Tournament witnessed the participation of teams from both the East and West regions, with the former reaching its decisive final match day in Thailand on Sunday, while the latter is scheduled to kick-off in Uzbekistan later today.

The committee also held in-depth discussions on the impending launch of the AFC Women’s Champions League in 2024, which will be a significant game-changer for women’s football, as well as on the entry and calendar principles, with more information on the format and final details to be confirmed in 2023.

Another topic on the agenda was the Asian Qualifiers format for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2024, which will feature 33 teams. Necessary adjustments were made to the first two rounds to minimize the logistical challenges for the participating teams.

Additionally, members of the committee approved the proposed dates of the AFC women’s youth competitions in 2025 and 2026 — namely the qualifiers and finals of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 — while providing the administration with the mandate to revise the dates where necessary.