For the first time in two decades, Australia is hosting one of women's football's most coveted continental prizes. The 2026 Women's Asian Cup kicks off on Sunday, March 1, running through to March 21 across three cities: Perth, Sydney and the Gold Coast. With a World Cup berth on the line and a home crowd behind them, the Matildas have rarely had a better chance to lift silverware.
According to ABC News, five venues will host matches across the tournament: Perth Stadium, Perth Rectangular Oval, Western Sydney Stadium, Stadium Australia and Gold Coast Stadium. Australia opens against the Philippines at the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium at 5pm AWST (8pm AEDT) on Sunday, before heading to the Gold Coast to face Iran on March 5 and then Sydney for a critical group clash against South Korea on March 8.
The squad reads as a who's who of Australian women's football. Captain Sam Kerr leads the side, supported by vice-captains Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley. Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry, Kyra Cooney-Cross and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold all feature. The most anticipated return is Mary Fowler, back from an ACL injury that sidelined her for much of the past year. Emerging talents Amy Sayer, Clare Wheeler and Wini Heatley add further intrigue to the squad's depth.
Twelve nations, one trophy
Australia earned automatic entry as host nation. The tournament's 12 competing countries also include Bangladesh, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iran, Japan, North Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The format places them into three groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Japan enters as the pundits' favourite, ranked eighth in the world and the only Asian nation to have won the Women's World Cup. North Korea, currently ranked ninth, is something of an unknown quantity at senior level despite dominating youth football as the reigning U17 and U20 World Cup holders.
China, the reigning champion, has won the tournament nine times and can never be written off. South Korea, meanwhile, will carry some psychological edge into any Matildas clash: it was the Koreans who knocked Australia out in the 2022 quarterfinals. The Matildas will want that result corrected.
What's actually at stake
Beyond the trophy itself, the stakes are considerable. The four semifinalists will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The four losing quarterfinalists will contest play-off matches on the Gold Coast for two additional World Cup berths, with the losers of those games entering a FIFA play-off tournament for one final chance. All eight quarterfinalists also earn spots in the AFC Women's Olympic qualifying tournament for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The Matildas have won only one major international trophy in their history: the 2010 Asian Cup. That fact alone gives this tournament unusual weight. A continental championship sits directly below the World Cup and Olympics in prestige, and Australia has rarely had a more favourable combination of home advantage, squad depth and momentum.
How to follow the action
All Matildas games are broadcast free-to-air on Network 10. The full tournament is also available via Paramount+ behind a paywall. ABC Sport will provide radio commentary for all Matildas games, key group stage matches and all knockout fixtures, alongside live blogs and comprehensive written coverage across ABC News platforms.
Tickets remain available for all games, including all three of Australia's group stage matches. The final takes place at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday, March 21 at 8pm AEDT. The full tournament schedule is available online.
For a team that has captured the imagination of the country since the 2023 World Cup run, this is another moment where Australian women's football gets to prove it belongs among the world's best. Home soil, a deep squad, and everything to play for. It doesn't get much better than that.