With just under 10 months until the next AFC Women's Asian Cup, the host cities and stadiums have been confirmed for the 2022 tournament.
Three host cities and stadiums were chosen by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup India 2022鈩 Local Organising Committee (LOC) on Friday.
The Westfield Matildas are one of four nations to have qualified for the tournament so far, alongside hosts India, defending champions Japan, and China PR.
The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup will be played between January 20 and 6 February in the following locations:
(Information and images provided by the AFC)
DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Inaugurated in 2008, the DY Patil Stadium is located on the outskirts of Mumbai and has world-class facilities capable of hosting multi-sports international events. With a stadium capacity of 37,900, DY Patil Stadium is the largest venue of the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup India 2022鈩.
As one of the six venues for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 鈥 the first FIFA tournament to be hosted in the country 鈥 football holds a special place in the stadium鈥檚 history, which was also the venue of the first-ever Indian Super League (ISL) final.
TransStadia, Ahmedabad
Officially opened on October 7, 2016, TransStadia was constructed under a public-private partnership and will be the newest of the three stadiums to host the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup India 2022鈩.
As India鈥檚 first convertible stadium with a capacity of 20,000, it has a FIFA standard football pitch with an elevation of 4.8 metres as well as 14 hospitality boxes overlooking the pitch, which can be converted into guest rooms.
Most recently, TransStadia played host to the second edition of the Intercontinental Cup, which featured DPR Korea, hosts India, Syria and Tajikistan as well as two of Chennaiyin FC鈥檚 AFC Cup matches.
Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Built in 1978, Kalinga Stadium is a multi-purpose international stadium situated in the heart of the city of Bhubaneswar. The grounds have served as a focal point for several international sporting events ranging from athletics, football, field hockey, basketball, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, wall climbing and swimming.
The stadium, which has a capacity of over 15,000 and was recently refurbished, has successfully staged the Super Cup, the annual knock-out tournament between the Indian Super League and the I-League clubs, since the tournament鈥檚 inception.
AFC General Secretary Dato鈥 Windsor John, said: 鈥淲omen鈥檚 football in Asia is world-class, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the LOC have selected exceptional venues that will deliver a true spectacle befitting the stature of the tournament.
鈥淭he AFC is grateful to the AIFF, the LOC and the three host cities for their dedication and we are confident that the tournament will serve as a catalyst to take women鈥檚 football in India, which continues to make significant strides, to even greater heights in the coming years.
鈥淲e applaud them for their vision and wish the AIFF and LOC the very best of success in their ambitions to showcase their capability to stage a successful international showpiece.鈥
The Qualifiers for the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup India 2022鈩 are set to take place from September 13 to 25, 2021 in centralised venues with the draw scheduled to be held on May 27, 2021 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 3.30pm local time (5:30pm AEST).
