The AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will kick off on Sunday, with Australia hosting games in Perth, the Gold Coast and Sydney, and the Matildas chasing glory off the back of their hugely successful 2023 home FIFA Women's World Cup campaign.
Star forward Hayley Raso says the team can meet Australia's high expectations, as they aim to progress beyond the quarter-finals, where they made a shock early exit after being defeated by South Korea in the 2022 Asian Cup.
It's the second time Australia has hosted the quadrennial competition, the first back in 2006. This year, 27 matches will be played with 12 teams from across Asia.
Matildas stars Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler are a part of the 26-person Australian team, with Kerr making an exciting return and hoping to be in the starting squad for her hometown games in Perth, after nearly two years away due to injury.
The 2026 Women's Asian Cup will run from 1 to 21 March, with games played at Perth Stadium, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Gold Coast Stadium, Western Sydney Stadium and Stadium Australia.
The opening match on Sunday will be held at Perth Stadium, and will feature Australia and the Philippines alongside a performance by KPop Demon Hunters artist Audrey Nuna in the opening ceremony.
Here's what to know before the Women's Asian Cup begins.
Which teams are playing this year?
The 12 teams competing include:
- Australia
- Japan
- China PR
- Korea Republic
- IR Iran
- India
- Bangladesh
- Vietnam
- Chinese Taipei
- Uzbekistan
- Philippines
- DPR Korea
With China PR holding nine championship titles, and winning the last competition, they're definitely the team to look out for.
However, they currently rank lower than Australia, Japan and Korea DPR across all FIFA confederations.
Since 2003, they've had a steady drop in their rankings, scoring 2,110 points in August 2003 and 1,798 in December 2025.
Australia currently ranks third in Asia and 15th in the world.
When are the Matildas' games?
The Matildas have three group stage games:
- 1 March: Australia v the Philippines, 5pm AWST (8pm AEDT), Perth Stadium
- 5 March: Iran v Australia, 7pm AEST (8pm AEDT), Gold Coast Stadium
- 8 March: Australia v Korea, 8pm AEDT, Stadium Australia
If they progress they may feature in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on 21 March.
Raso, who left club football in England for Germany, says the Australian team are ready for the added pressure a home tournament brings.
"The expectations are high and a lot of people want us to do well," she said.
"We know that Korea is a tough opponent; we played against them last time out. So, I think knowing what we have to come it's always at the back of our mind. But most importantly, we're looking at that first game.
"We're a team that's been together for a really long time, so we know how each other works, and we know that whatever coach is in charge of us, that we'll be playing their way, and we want to play."
She said the team has adapted to playing under new coach Joe Montemurro, who took over the job in June.
"So he's come in, he's had plenty enough time to implement his style for us.
"He wants us to control the ball. He wants us to possess the ball, and that's something we like doing.
"So of course I think it's enough time, and we're looking forward to getting out there."
How will the Matildas fare?
The 26-person Australian team features players from the A-League Women, English Women's Super League, French Division 1 Feminine, German Bundesliga and National Women's Soccer League in the United States.
Raso said the team experienced a boost from Kerr's return. The Matildas' leading all-time goal scorer for Australia and captain will be playing in her first major tournament for the team since the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. This will also be her fifth Asian Cup.
Kerr told SBS News: "I feel like whenever I'm on the pitch I'm confident in my ability to score, and hopefully score some goals on the weekend."
It's been five months since Kerr has played following an ACL injury, setting her back 18 months. Fellow star Mary Fowler also recently recovered from an ACL injury in April 2025, but returned to the pitch in early February.
There will be eight players making their Women's Asian Cup debut: Winonah Heatley, Clare Hunt, Kahli Johnson, Jamilla Rankin, Charlize Rule, Amy Sayer, Kaitlyn Torpey and Jada Whyman.
How long has the cup been running for?
The first edition of the AFC (Asia Football Confederation) Women's Asian Cup was back in 1975, held in Hong Kong. New Zealand won the championship while Thailand came second, Australia third and Malaysia fourth.
Since then, Chinese Taipei won in 1977, 1979 and 1981, with Thailand reclaiming their championship title in 1983.
China PR would then dominate the following years after making its debut in 1986, winning seven consecutive titles until 1999.
Australia's first championship was won in 2010, after years of reaching the final four in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Japan won in 2014 and 2018, but lost the most recent competition in 2022 to China PR.
The frequency of the cup has been changed many times, first starting out as biannual, changing to every three years to four years, and previously to non-FIFA Women's World Cup odd years.
The tournament had only eight teams until it was expanded to 12 in 2022.
Will the Iranian team attend?
It was reported that the team departed Iran for Australia on Tuesday morning local time, but there are welfare concerns amid political uncertainty in the country.
Due to an internet blackout, The Guardian reported players and staff had been almost impossible to contact.
On top of this, the players must have male chaperones to compete, as well as needing permission from a husband or father to compete.
All members of the Iranian team have been granted visas by the Australian government, but two players have already withdrawn from the team, including defender Kousar Kamali.
In an Instagram post, she wrote: "When the heart is wounded and the soul is tired, football is no longer a refuge. I can't pretend everything is normal."
Currently ranked 68th in the world and 13th in Asia, Iran's first game will be against Asia's fifth-ranked team, DPR Korea. Their football program only began in 2005.
How to watch the Women's Asian Cup 2026
You can watch the competition on Paramount+ with six games (including all the Matildas matches) available on Network 10.
The opening match will be on Sunday 1 March at 5pm in Perth (local time) — so 8pm AEDT.
The final will be held on Saturday 21 March at 8pm AEDT in Sydney.
You can view the full schedule of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup events here.
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