Australia to 'set a new benchmark' in Asian Cup hosting standards: AFC

[p]The 21st edition of the quadrennial tournament kicks off on ‌Sunday with the hosts facing the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philippines/CINRvtL5/"]Philippines[/a] in Perth. Champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/china/IFHViN7N/"]China[/a] and 2011 World Cup winners [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ltLyWcnC/"]Japan[/a] ‌are among the 12 teams vying to lift the trophy on March 21.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/YXMhvJho/"]Australia[/a] ‌co-hosted the 2023 Women's World Cup with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/Or33d6md/"]New Zealand[/a] and rode a wave of home ‌support to the semi-finals. The event was judged a massive success and boosted ‌the profile of the women's game around the world.[/p][p]"[b]The expectation is that Australia 2026 will set a new benchmark for the competition in terms of quality, professionalism and global visibility,[/b]" Asian Football Confederation ‌General Secretary Windsor John told Reuters.[/p][p]"[b]Following the success of ⁠the Women's World Cup, the infrastructure, operational ‌expertise and public appetite for women's football are already well established.[/b][/p][p]"That provides a strong foundation for ​the Women's Asian Cup to further elevate its profile and we are already seeing record ticket sales.[/p][p]"[b]This edition is about consolidating the progress made ​in recent years and strengthening the tournament's identity as Asia's premier women's national team competition.[/b]"[/p][p]Asian nations have been losing ground to the game's top tier since Japan reached ⁠a second consecutive World Cup ​final in 2015. Their defeat by the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/KQv9BO32/"]United States[/a] marked the last time a team from the region advanced so far in global competition.[/p][p]A major funding boost for the UEFA Women's Champions League saw standards in Europe rise rapidly, leaving the rest of the ‌world playing catch-up.[/p][p]The AFC has attempted to reduce the deficit by launching their own version of the Champions League last year but John says an upturn in results will take time.[/p][embed guid="42674ec7-ef65-4841-862a-52fde4926982" url="https://x.com/amara_faitho/status/2027327802853208122" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]Closing the gap requires long-term structural alignment rather than short-term measures,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"Asia has previously produced a women's world champion in Japan, and the objective now is to build consistent competitiveness in an increasingly professional global environment.[/p][p]"[b]We are already witnessing multiple successes on the youth stage with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/north-korea/fojQgvMl/"]North Korea[/a] shining in that category.[/b][/p][p]"One of the most important recent developments has been the launch of the AFC Women's ‌Champions League, which has energised the women's club ecosystem.[/p][p]"[b]It provides elite international competition at ​club level, encourages greater investment in domestic leagues and increases player mobility within ‌the continent.[/b]"[/p][p]The 2026 edition of the Women's Asian Cup will also be the last to double as the continent's qualifiers for the World Cup.[/p][p]Six berths at next year's finals in Brazil will be available in Australia, but the preliminaries for future World Cups will be held separately to boost the number of ⁠international matches played over each four-year ⁠cycle.[/p][p]"[b]Increased match experience is a key ‌factor in improving competitive balance and raising overall standards,[/b]" said John.[/p][embed guid="09a58b49-f327-453f-a403-79ad5c658007" url="https://x.com/HassanSports26/status/2027303564788264988" social-type="twitter" /]