India has come a long way with regards to women in sports, and here is more proof of it. The Asian Football Confederation on Thursday announced that the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup will be held in India from January 20 to February 6. This event will also decide the qualifying teams who will participate in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
The tournament will feature 12 teams, who will be further divided into three groups of four and eight teams, and will play to qualify for the quarter-finals. As a host, India has already qualified for the quarter-finals, along with Japan, China, and Australia, who were the three best teams from 2018’s tournament. The remaining eight spots will be filled post the matches that will be played at a centralised venue from September 13 to 25, 2021.
Dato Windsor John, Asian Football Confederation General Secretary lauded the efforts of India in recent years and added that the country hosting the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup will create a milestone for women footballers and fans of the game.
Meanwhile, preparations for the tournament are on in full-swing. President of the All India Football Federation, Praful Patel, remarked, “The Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup will kick-start 2022 and moreover, it will be a momentous year for women’s football in India.” He also showed confidence in the fact that this event would be an important step in the journey of women’s football as it has seen an exemplary growth, and how the country has hosted successful international tournaments in the past.
Image Credit: Instagram/ Zorins TV