Western Australian Government excited to be a host state for 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Western Australia has been selected as one of three host states for the 2026 edition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup with WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti enthusing "we're very excited to be hosting yet another world-class football event here in Perth."

The international football competition is held every four years as the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Matches will take place in Western Australia along with NSW and Queensland with the Victorian Government not having expressed an interest in supporting the bid.

Following the successful co-hosting of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Football Australia will have high hope for the tournament to be a success.

The Western Australian Government sees the hosting as an opportunity to build on the legacy of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, which exceeded expectations and generated $25 million for the WA economy.

WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti added "major events like these are so beneficial for our State in driving visitation, generating millions for our local economy, activating our city and showcasing our State to the world, and we saw this success through last year's FIFA Women's World Cup and Matildas' Olympic Qualifier matches.

"We are confident this AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will continue to build on this, and we look forward to welcoming fans from far and wide to witness this fantastic event in a couple years' time."

The Women's Asian Cup is forecast to also attract thousands of out-of-state visitors, generating millions in visitor spend, while also delivering a cumulative broadcast audience of over 100 million across the event.

WA continues to demonstrate its place as a host destination for major football events with 2023 highlights including FIFA Women's World Cup matches and the Matildas' Olympic qualifiers, plus upcoming blockbusters including AC Milan vs AS Roma later this month, and the Socceroos vs Palestine in a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier in June.

Following the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, participation in football in WA has reached a record high with registrations surpassing the 50,000 mark, including a record-breaking 10,000 female players.

Perth fixtures for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will be announced at a later date.

Australia was the only remaining bidder for 2026 following the withdrawals of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan was also named as hosts of the 2029 edition of the tournament.

For more information, visit www.footballaustralia.com.au. https://www.footballaustralia.com.au