Attended by 100 coaches and technical staff from across the AFC’s Member Associations, AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh opened the session with a review of standout moments of the year so far, most notably Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC’s memorable triumph in the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) and DPR Korea’s historic title defence at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The conversation then expanded into two core pillars - development and performance - where experts highlighted the goals for the near future, including establishing and improving youth academy programmes, increasing the number of registered players at the grassroots level, and raising the level of coach education.

Participants then heard from FIFA Football Performance Insights Lead Tom Gardner, who provided a comprehensive review of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025, highlighting key trends such as teams’ growing preference for fast, direct attacking play and the rising importance of centre-forwards in retaining possession under pressure.

Following the snapshot of the global landscape, the programme then turned its attention to examining the AFC’s women’s competitions, where the mid-season club rankings were confirmed last week after the conclusion of the group stage of the 2025/26 AWCL season.

 

Led by AFC Head of Women’s Football, Bai Lili, the discussion then centred on preparations for the Confederation’s flagship women’s national team tournament, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™, set to take place from March 1 to 21, 2026, followed by updates on the upcoming age-group tournaments, including the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026™ and the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026™.

 

Finally, the experts also explored strategies to address persistent challenges within the women’s game, such as expanding girls-only grassroots competitions, increasing domestic playing opportunities for elite athletes, and boosting the number of qualified coaches at the highest levels.