In addition, the four participating clubs have also been confirmed with host side Amman Club, FC Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Shahrdari Sirjan and Gokulam Kerala FC from India scheduled to compete for Continental supremacy from November 7 to 12, 2021 at the Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium in the country’s capital of Amman.

Sweden have been standout performers so far, advancing to the last eight with three wins in Group G which began with an 3-0 emphatic victory over reigning world champions United States, before defeating Australia 4-2 to seal their place in the quarter-finals with a match to spare. New Zealand were beaten 2-0 in their final group match.

Japan, meanwhile, had to dig deep in Group E to progress to the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams. Their persistence was tested against the Canadians in their group opener, where Japan had to fight back from a sixth minute deficit with Mana Iwabuchi scoring the equaliser in the 84th minute before falling 1-0 to Great Britain. A place in the last eight stage was only confirmed with a 1-0 win over Chile.

In a match offering both deep familiarity and an all-new experience, the Matildas will face a Great Britain outfit which does not normally compete on the international football stage but boasts some of the game’s biggest names.

While the British home nations ordinarily compete individually in international football, Great Britain comes together as a whole for the Olympics, which means Australia will be facing not only the best players from the England side that finished fourth in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but also a smattering of standouts from Scotland and Wales.

Consequently, the variance in the number of teams across the different groups of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022™ Qualifiers East Zone has now reached more than one, with just Japan and Cambodia the remaining teams in Group K, as a result of DPR Korea’s withdrawal.

The decision was confirmed taking into careful consideration the existing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as part of efforts to minimise the travelling time for teams and officials between the venues, whilst ensuring the optimum environment to implement the Bio Medical Bubble for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The 2022 edition will once again blaze a new trail in the development of the women’s game in Asia with an expanded 12 teams set to compete for Continental supremacy – four more than the last four editions – and will feature a newly-introduced Quarter-final stage for the first time in Asian women’s football history.

Organised in preparation for the AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 Pilot Tournament, the first-of-its-kind workshop welcomed more than 90 club licensing managers and administrators from 41 Member Associations (MAs) who were briefed on their roles and responsibilities in implementing the criteria of the AFC Women’s Club Licensing.