Female football players to vie for World Cup berth during Lunar New Year

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the format for Women’s Asian Cup 2022, with Vietnam hopeful of using the competition as a route to obtain World Cup qualification.

Female football players will compete for World Cup berth during Lunar New Year (Photo: AFC)

The schedule will see 12 others to compete in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup finals, set to take place between January 20 and February 6 in India. The timeframe coincides with the Lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam.

The best 12 teams are Japan, Australia, China, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and hosts India.

They will be divided into three groups of four, with the first and second- placed teams and two best third-placed teams qualifying for the quarterfinals.

The event will also serve as a qualifying round for the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. As a result, the top five teams in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup finals will qualify for the World Cup, while the runners-up will battle for the two remaining spots in the play-offs.

The draw ceremony will be held on October 28, with the Vietnamese team number three seeds.

VOV