AFC Draw to Set Women's Olympic Qualifier Groups
The Asian Qualifiers draw for the Los Angeles 2028 women's football tournament will be held on November 12 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Olympics
The AFC will hold the draw for the Asian Qualifiers to the Los Angeles 2028 Women's Olympic football tournament on November 12 at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, creating two groups of four teams. The winner of each group will qualify for the Los Angeles Games, while the eight teams from the AFC Women's Asian Cup compete for two Olympic slots.
Why it matters
The draw determines which teams face each other across six matchdays of home-and-away group play and sets the path toward the two Olympic places available to Asia. Australia, China PR, DPR Korea and Japan are the only Asian teams to have qualified for the Olympics so far.
The qualifier format offers two Olympic places across two groups of four teams. Pot rankings place Japan at 5 and Uzbekistan at 51, and the final groupings will not be known until the draw is completed.
The players
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
The AFC is the continental governing body for football in Asia and organizes the Asian Qualifiers for the Olympic women's football tournament.
The details
Matches in the groups are played home and away across six matchdays, and group runners-up advance to a home-and-away knockout Asian Qualifiers Playoff. Japan won the AFC Women's Asian Cup in March and is among the top seeds in the draw.
Timeline
November 12: AFC draw for the Asian Qualifiers at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur
February 28, 2028: Asian Qualifiers Playoff first leg
March 4, 2028: Asian Qualifiers Playoff second leg
Season Trajectory
Only Australia, China PR, DPR Korea and Japan have previously qualified from Asia for the women's Olympic football tournament. The upcoming qualifiers determine whether additional Asian teams can join that group for Los Angeles 2028.
The draw sets which teams meet in each group, so fans following the women's Olympic qualifiers will know their opponents across six home-and-away matchdays. Group winners secure a place at the Los Angeles Games, while runners-up enter a knockout playoff.
The takeaway
Asian women's football has only four teams qualified for the Olympics so far, so the November 12 draw could change how many Asian nations appear in Los Angeles. Readers following the sport can track the groups as they are set.
What happens next
The Asian Qualifiers Playoff first leg is scheduled for February 28, 2028, with the second leg on March 4, 2028, and the winner advances to an intercontinental playoff against Argentina.
Further reading
Explore more on the Olympics section for context on how qualifying formats shape the Games.
