AFC U20 Asian Cup - Women 2025/26

The AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup is the premier biennial international football tournament for women's national teams under the age of 20 in Asia. Organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the event serves as the primary qualification pathway for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The format for the upcoming 2026 edition in Thailand expands to 12 teams, divided into three groups of four. The top two from each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals. Japan is the most successful nation, having won the title seven times. The team secured its latest victory in 2026, defeating North Korea 1–0 in the final. North Korea has won twice, while South Korea and China have each claimed the trophy once. The tournament was originally named the AFC U-19 Women's Championship when first held in India in 2002. In 2016, the AFC aligned the competition with the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup by raising the age limit from under-19 to under-20 and renaming it the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup. The 2024 edition was hosted in Uzbekistan with eight teams. For the current 2025 season, the participating nations include Korea Republic U20 Women, Bhutan Women, Turkmenistan Women, China PR U20 Women, Nepal Women, and Indonesia Women. The tournament is distinct from the senior AFC Women's Asian Cup and the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup, serving specifically as the continental championship for the U-20 age group. There is no promotion or relegation between these age-group tournaments; they remain independent competitions. The 2022 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic. Currently, the top four teams qualify for the World Cup, though this number has varied in previous years.