AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup:
Iran to begin title defense against Philippines
Iran will kick off the quest for a third successive crown at the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup against the Philippines on May 7 when the competition resumes after a seven-year hiatus in China.
The draw for the 12-team event was held in the host city of Hohhot on Thursday, where Iran was also pitted against Vietnam and Hong Kong in Group B.
The top three teams of the tournament will punch their tickets for the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup – starting November 21 in the Philippines.
Iranian girls will take on Hong Kong on May 9, before squaring off against Vietnam at the Hohhot Sports Center two days later.
The top two of the three groups will be joined by the two best third-place teams in the quarterfinals.
In other groups, the host country was drawn against Uzbekistan, the Chinese Taipei, and Australia in Group A, with Japan, two-time bronze winner Thailand, Indonesia, and Bahrain completing the lineup of Group C.
Iran defeated Japan 1-0 for the title in the inaugural event in Malysia in 2015 and repeated the success three years later in Thailand, thanks to a 5-2 victory over the same opponent in the final.
The 2020 edition in Kuwait was canceled by the continental governing body of the sport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the preparation for the Asian Cup, Iranian women will take part at the 2025 CAFA Futsal Championship in Dushanbe, Tajikistan – starting with a game against Uzbekistan on Sunday.
Featuring five Central Asian teams, the tournament will also see Iran play the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan in a round-robin format until February 16.