Australia strongly positioned to host AFC Women’s Asian Cup and world club elite
Following a successfully hosted and record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023™, which welcomed nearly two million people to matches across Australia and New Zealand, Football Australia is ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores.
We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ and - having taken all factors into consideration - we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition.
Instead, we believe we are in a strong position to host the oldest women’s international competition in the world, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026, and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup™. Achieving this - following the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ and with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games - would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football.
This would be underpinned by the opportunity for our men’s and women’s teams to compete at major tournaments including FIFA World Cup™ 2026 and 2030, FIFA Women’s World Cup™ 2027 and 2031, AFC Asian Cup™ 2023, 2027 and 2031, and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026 and 2030, the Paris 2024 and LA 2028 Olympic Games, as well as at the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup™ and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ competitions.
Football is the number one participation sport in Australia and, in many respects, is reflective of our nation’s diverse population.
For international tournament hosting, the Australian time zones provide significant opportunities for broadcasters, and we are within touching distance of billions of people in Asia and Oceania, which also helps to provide a strong commercial outlook for competitions.
Football Australia remains committed to contributing positively to the growth and success of football at all levels, including locally, as part of the AFC and globally as part of FIFA.
We wish FIFA and the eventual hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2034™ the greatest success for the good of the game and for everyone who loves our sport.
Australia is strongly positioned to host future major tournaments including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026 and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup™.
Plus Aussie refs Chris Beath, Ashley Beecham and Anton Schetinin were named as the best on-field refs in the confederation! Australia also won the ‘President Recognition Award for Grassroots Football’ Gold category.
Australia won tonight’s women’s Olympic football qualifier 3-0 against Chinese Taipei at HBF Park in Perth tonight, marking the team’s 200th victory. After a scoreless first hour, the Matildas scored three goals in 14 minutes in the second half, first by Mary Fowler, then captain Sam Kerr (the Matildas’ 900th international goal) and Tameka Yallop. The Matildas topped group A with three wins from three matches with a goal difference of +13. Tonight’s attendance of 19,804 is a new record crowd for a football match at the venue, beating the previous high of 19,495, set during the Socceroos’ 5-0 thrashing of Bangladesh in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier on September 3, 2015.
This afternoon, Philippines edged out Iran 1-0 to finish second in group A.
In the other two groups, North Korea surprisingly topped group B with two wins and a draw (goal difference +8) ahead of host China, while Japan claimed group C with three consecutive victories against India, host Uzbekistan and Vietnam, with a goal difference of +11.
UPDATE
Uzbekistan’s 3-0 win over India in the late match means the home team came second in group C behind Japan. They qualify as the best ranked runner up ahead of Philippines due to superior goal difference.
UPDATE 2
According to Keepup website, the Matildas will play Uzbekistan in a two-legged playoff for a spot at the 2024 Olympics, with the first leg away on February 24 and the return leg in Australia on February 28. The Asian Football Confederation is yet to make an official announcement on the playoffs schedule.
And more importantly South Korea, who drew with China in the last match of the group. Either team needed to win to qualify for the next stage ahead of Uzbekistan, but they drew, knocking each other out in the process.
Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten start as Tottenham manager is over, after his team lost 1-4 to Chelsea at home this morning (Australian time). The result means the Spurs lose the top spot to defending champions Manchester City.
Tottenham scored an early goal through Dejan Kulusevski, but were reduced to nine men with a red card either side of half time, and Chelsea took advantage, scoring the next four goals including a late hat trick to Nicolas Jackson.
Before this match, Postecoglou led the Spurs to eight wins and two draws, the best start for a first-time manager in the English top division for 60 years.
18 years to the day since that famous World Cup qualifier vs Uruguay, Australia began their 2026 World Cup campaign vs Bangladesh in front of a packed AAMI Park in Melbourne winning 7-0
The deduction means Everton are now second last (just above Burnley) with just four points. Everton said they were “shocked and disappointed” by the ruling and will be appealing.
Impressive how badly they’ve messed this up - a “national” second division from two states, bringing in the absolute worst of the bad days of the ethnicity based rivalries and still having no plan for actually having any form of movement between the two “tiers”.
These are the only clubs who met the licensing guidelines. It’s unfortunate but it will expand with time.
Sydney United I agree is a very bad choice, just a year after punishments were handed down due to Nazism/racism at the Australia Cup final.
That’s a long way away right now. The NSD clubs/league needs to prove it’s viability before promotion/relegation can be brought in. Plus, the AL teams’ licensing agreements to play in the top tier are still ongoing for another few years, so they cannot be relegated.
What gives you this impression? Unless this is the first you are hearing about the league in which case I can understand why you don’t know about the future plans.