Australia was officially ratified as the host nation by the AFC Women's Football Committee on 15 May 2024.[1]
The final tournament will serve as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. This will be the last time the qualifications will be linked, as a standalone qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held starting from the 2031 edition onwards. For the first time, the final tournament will also serve as the penultimate stage of Asian qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with all eight quarter-finalists qualifying for the 2028 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[2]
The following four football associations submitted their interest to host the tournament by the 31 July 2022 deadline.[3]Australia was selected as the host nation by the AFC Women's Football Committee on 15 March 2024 following the withdrawals of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.[4]
Saudi Arabia – On 21 April 2022, Saudi Arabia submitted its bid in hosting the tournament. The move came as a surprise, with its women's team having only played two first ever friendlies in February the same year after its inception in 2021. Saudi Arabia has never hosted any major women's football tournament, although it hosted the men's FIFA Confederations Cup from 1992 to 1997 and will host the men's Asian Cup in 2027.[5] On 2 December, the Saudi delegation submitted its bid to host the 2026 edition.[6] On 23 February 2024, Saudi Arabia withdrew their bid.[7]
Uzbekistan – The Central Asian nation submitted its interest on that same day. The country had never hosted a major women's football tournament before, though it has played in the women's Asian Cup five times. The country has hosted various men's youth competitions, such as the 2008 and 2010 AFC U-16 Championships, the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup and the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup. On 23 February 2024, Uzbekistan also withdrew their bid.[7] The AFC ultimately awarded Uzbekistan the 2029 Women's Asian Cup hosting rights also on 15 May as the only bidder.[1]
Games will be held in venues across New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia.[9] The five selected venues were officially recommended for formal ratification by the AFC on 12 November 2024.[10]
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