ABU DHABI, 20th June 2025 (WAM) -- Asia's hopefuls will take their first steps towards glory when the Qualifiers for the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 commence on Monday.

The matches will see the contenders vie for one of the eight available slots to join hosts Australia and the top three sides from the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 - defending champions China PR, runners-up Korea Republic and third-placed Japan - in the Continental showpiece in March 2026.

Divided into eight groups, six groups of four and two groups of five, the winners from each group will advance to the Finals and complete the cast for Asia's flagship women's national team competition.

The enticing battles in Group B will commence when Mongolia face India at Thailand's 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium at 4pm on June 23, marking the Blue Wolves' second attempt at making it to the Finals, while India will target a comeback via the qualifiers for the first time since 2003.

Iraq and Timor-Leste, neither of whom have ever made it to the competition proper, will cross swords at 7.30pm. Hosts Thailand, on the other hand, will be aiming to match Japan's record of 18 appearances when they open their campaign against Timor-Leste on June 26 at 7.30pm.

Myanmar's capital city Yangon will set the stage for Group C, which will kick off with the hosts embarking on their journey against Turkmenistan, who are making their qualification debut, at the Thuwunna Stadium on June 29 at 4pm. The second fixture will feature Bahrain and Bangladesh, both raring to register a first-time appearance in the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

In Group D, proceedings will begin with Pakistan facing three-time champions and 2022 quarter-finalists Chinese Taipei at the Stadium Sport Centre Kelapa Dua Tangerang in Indonesia's Tangerang Regency on June 29 at 3.30pm, while at 8pm, Indonesia will look to capitalise on home advantage to secure back-to-back qualifications when they square off against the Kyrgyz Republic, who are on a quest to make their maiden appearance.

The Viet Tri Stadium in Vietnam will provide the backdrop for matches in Group E, with Guam embarking on their qualification path for a fifth appearance at the Continental contest against the United Arab Emirates, who will seek to be third-time lucky in the qualifiers, at 4pm on June 29. At 7pm, the hosts - aiming to extend their streak to a 10th consecutive Finals - will do battle against Maldives, who are in search of their first-ever point in the qualifiers.

In Group F, aiming for a fourth appearance on the Continental stage will be Nepal, who will face Laos, who are yet to feature in the Finals. The two sides will clash at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Uzbekistan's capital city, Tashkent, on June 29 at 5.30pm, and will be followed by the home side taking on Sri Lanka at 8.30pm. Uzbekistan, who have made the final line-up on five earlier occasions, had their last appearance in 2003, while the South Asian side are among the six debutants in the qualifiers.

Action in Group G will unfold at the National Sports Complex of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, with 2022 quarter-finalists Philippines kicking off their qualification campaign on June 29 at 4pm against Saudi Arabia, who are participating in the qualifiers for the first time. The clash will be followed by 1980 third-placed side Hong Kong, China standing in the way of the hosts, on their first-ever qualifying campaign.

Group H, being played at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, will see Malaysia and Palestine settle scores at 7pm on June 29. The Southeast Asians, who previously finished in third place in 1983, will look to mark their 10th outing in the Continent's most prestigious women's national team competition, while Palestine will be aiming for a historic debut in Australia 2026.

The clash will be followed by three-time champions DPR Korea facing off against the host nation at 10pm. Having won the contest in 2001, 2003 and 2008, the East Asians are on the hunt for a record-breaking fourth title, while Tajikistan, who played their first FIFA match in 2017, will also look to script history by qualifying for the Finals for the first time.

Finally, in Group A, the matches have been relocated from Amman, Jordan, to Qatar, and rescheduled to take place from July 7 to 19, 2025, with further details regarding the venue and match timings to be confirmed in due course.