Sports Desk:

Bangladesh have been drawn alongside defending champions China, Asian powerhouse North Korea as well as Uzbekistan in Group B of their maiden Women’s Asian Cup campaign, which will be played in Australia from March 1-21 next year.

The draw was held at the Sydney Opera House in presence of players and dignitaries from across Asia and Australia.

Bangladesh had sealed a historic maiden qualification for the continental battle earlier this month, topping Group C with an all-win record in Myanmar. Peter Butler’s charges edged group-favourites Myanmar 2-1 while thrashing Bahrain 7-0 and Turkmenistan by the same margin.

The women in red and green (Ranked 128th) had become the first team from outside the top-100 in FIFA rankings to qualify for the showpiece event. They are the lowest-ranked side in the Asian Cup 2026 while North Korea (9), China (17) and Uzbekistan (51) are much higher-ranked.

Now bigger tests await as they would square off against……

Bangladesh were the lowest-ranked side even when the pots for the draw were considered, based on FIFA rankings on June 12.

WHO ARE THE QUALIFIERS

Eight teams booked their tickets to the 21st edition after an intense qualifiers that took place from June 23 to July 19. Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, DPR Korea, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Philippines, Uzbekistan and Vietnam joined hosts Australia, alongside the top three finishers from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 – defending champions China, runners-up Korea Republic, and third-placed Japan, who all earned automatic qualification.

WHERE WILL THE MATCHES BE PLAYED?

The matches will be held in Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast. Accor Stadium at Homebush and Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium will host games in Sydney, while Optus Stadium and HBF Park will be used in Perth. CBus Super Stadium in Robina will also feature during the group stage.

WORLD CUP AND OLYMPICS SPOTS UP FOR GRABS

As well as chasing a prized continental trophy, each team will be out to use the Asian Cup to secure their place at future tournaments.

The continental event – for the last time – is also the final stage of Asian qualification for the next Women’s World Cup, with the four semi-finalists joining the teams appearing in Brazil in 2027. The four losing sides in the quarter-finals will have another chance with a playoff to claim two more World Cup spots.

And for the first time, the Asian Cup is a step towards the Olympic Games, with the eight quarter-finalists booking a ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 qualifying tournament.

Groups

Group A: Australia. South Korea, Philippines, Iran

Group B: North Korea, China, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh

Group C: Japan, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, India