AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup
Contenders gear up for #U20WAC Qualifiers
The journey to reach the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Thailand 2026 gets underway next week when the Qualifiers kick off on August 6 (Wednesday) across the Continent.
First implemented in 2006 and now into its 10th edition, the Qualifiers will feature the largest cast ever assembled as 32 teams—divided into eight groups to contest a single round-robin centralised format—vie for the right to be at the 12th edition of the Finals.
The eight group winners and the overall three best runners-up will join host Thailand to form the final 12-strong cast—four more than the previous edition.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Timor-Leste will make their Qualifiers debut and this quartet, along with 11 other teams—Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Northern Mariana Islands, Palestine, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan—will hope to qualify for the first time.
At the other end of the spectrum, four sides—also the only teams to have emerged as previous champions—will aim to maintain their streak of appearing at every edition to date: China PR, DPR Korea, Japan and Korea Republic.
The Qualifiers begin in Group E on Wednesday at Yinchuan’s Helanshan Stadium at 3.30pm between Lebanon and Cambodia, taking part in their fourth and second qualifying campaigns respectively. Later, China PR, looking to add to their 2006 triumph, begin their quest on home soil at 7.35pm against newcomers Syria.
Holders and reigning world champions DPR Korea will contest their first Qualifiers, having automatically qualified for every previous Finals by virtue of never finishing outside the top four, when they kick off Group A at 2pm against Saudi Arabia at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu. Then at 6pm, hosts Bhutan start their second campaign against a Nepal side whose sole previous qualification came in 2004.
Record six-time winners and 2018 world champions Japan open Group F against Guam at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium at 4.45pm, with the latter—in their fourth Qualifiers—targeting a third Finals appearance and first since 2004. The Islamic Republic of Iran are looking for a second Finals involvement in their seventh qualifying campaign and face Malaysia at 8.45pm, who are looking to add to their two Finals involvements from 2004 and 2006 (as hosts).
Hanoi’s Vietnam Youth Football Training Center will stage Group B’s fixtures and the opener at 4pm sees Kyrgyz Republic, playing in their fourth Qualifiers, take on a Hong Kong, China side in their eighth campaign and looking for a third Finals showing since being involved in 2002 and 2004. Eyeing a seventh participation, Vietnam will welcome Singapore at 7pm, with the visitors aiming to reach a third Finals.
Two-time champions Korea Republic start their third qualifying campaign in Group H with a clash against Timor-Leste at the Laos National Stadium KM16 in Vientiane, with kick-off slated for 4pm. That will be followed by Bangladesh and Laos, competing in their sixth and third Qualifiers, going head to head at 7pm.
Over in Yangon, the quest to reach a fifth Finals and a first since 2019 will begin for Myanmar at 4pm in Group D at the Thuwunna Stadium, as they face a Turkmenistan side who are in the Qualifiers for a second time and seeking to notch their first ever point. The second match sees India, aiming to progress to a fourth Finals, with their last coming in 2006, open their 10th qualifying campaign against Indonesia, competing in their second one, at 7pm.
Hoping to add to their only previous Finals appearance from 2006, Jordan—taking part in a 10th Qualifiers—get Group G going at 5.30pm at Tashkent’s Do’stlik Stadium, with their opponents, Northern Mariana Islands, contesting a third Qualifiers and hunting a first ever point. At 8.30pm, it will be Uzbekistan’s turn to shine on the home stage in their seventh Qualifiers as they seek a sixth Finals showing, while opponents Bahrain take their maiden steps into qualifying.
The opening matchday concludes with Group C at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, with Chinese Taipei and Palestine going first at 7pm. Runners-up in 2002, the East Asians are targeting a sixth Finals outing, while the latter are involved in a fifth Qualifiers. Two-time third-place finishers Australia are looking to seal a 10th Finals appearance and take to the pitch at 10pm to face Tajikistan, who are joining the qualification battle for a fifth time.
