Football/ India to host 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup
Championship to be expanded from eight to 12 teams
India will host the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. India was awarded the tournament by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Women’s Committee here on Tuesday.
It was felt that India, which will also host the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup later this year, was best placed among the three bidders — Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan were the other competing candidates — to maximise the promotion of the women’s game.
The venues proposed by India — D.Y. Patil Stadium, Trans Stadia Arena and Fatorda Stadium — are also being used in the FIFA tournaments, the AFC said.
Best opportunities
AFC’s Women’s Committee chairperson Mahfuza Akhter Kiron said: “India offers the best opportunities to build the event commercially as well as increasing the value and India is also committed to developing the women’s game and while all three were strong bids, India stands out.”
The committee decided that the expanded AFC Women’s Asian Cup — from eight to 12 teams — will be played in three groups of four teams with a minimum of 25 matches with eight teams qualifying for the newly introduced quarterfinals.
The committee agreed that the minimum length of the competition would be 17 days and that the administration would be mandated to organise the relevant play-off matches depending on the AFC slots at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The tournament dates are likely to be in late October and early November 2022.
