Technical
Held a month apart from each other, the joint report recounts the major highlights from the two competitions, offering key insights into the performances of Asia’s future stars.
Expanded to feature 12 teams, four more than the previous edition, the report on the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ revisits the unforgettable moments from a tournament which saw Japan beat rivals DPR Korea to lift the title, with the two finalists, along with semi-finalists China PR and Korea Republic, also booking their places at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026.
Also captured in the report is DPR Korea’s incredible title defence at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026™, where they avenged their defeat in the U20 tournament by beating Japan 5-1 for a record-extending fifth crown.
The winning coaches of both competitions, Japan’s Akira Ijiri and DPR Korea’s Ji Yun Nam, feature prominently in the publication, shedding light on their respective coaching philosophies and highlighting the various factors that have contributed to their sustained success at the highest level of the game, both continentally and globally.
With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ also taking place earlier this year, this combined report serves as an excellent source for readers to gain a glimpse into the technical insights from the senior teams through to their younger counterparts, tracing a path of noticeable similarities and differences across the age-groups that caught the attention of AFC’s technical observers.
These included tendencies towards ball possession, the evolving role of goalkeepers, and the inclination of developing teams to adopt compact defensive organisations, while benchmark teams such as DPR Korea were keener to demonstrate a high-pressing game.
Additionally, readers are provided with comprehensive summaries of the performances of each team, complete with a brief analysis of their playing styles, coach profiles and key players.
Finally, with the Confederation continuously working towards establishing the highest officiating standards in its competitions, the publication also includes an interesting section on the selection process and performance of the team of match officials appointed at the two contests.
With plenty of interesting observations and statistics spanning close to 150 pages, the publication, available here, is a fitting tribute to the historic performances of Asia’s heroines in age-group football on the continental stage.
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