Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sweimeh: 2014 finalists Japan and Australia will meet in a mouth-watering group stage clash after being paired together at the official draw for the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup held on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea.
The glittering ceremony, held at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Center, split the eight qualifiers into two groups for next April’s finals, and produced no shortage of appetising fixtures.
The pairing of Australia and Japan – ranked sixth and eighth in the world respectively - pits together the champions of the last two editions of the tournament, in a highly competitive Group B.
They will be joined by World no. 15 Korea Republic, and Southeast Asian champions Vietnam, who were the only team in the draw to navigate 2017 without a single international defeat.
Hosts Jordan was paired with eight-time champions China PR, 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers Thailand and the Philippines in Group A.
The Nashmiyat will open the tournament with a meeting against the Philippines in Amman on April 6. Interestingly, the teams also met in the 2018 AFC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, where Jordan secured a 5-1 win.
To mark the first ever edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in West Asia, the ceremony also saw the unveiling of a dynamic new official tournament logo, which presents the female footballer as a superheroine.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup Jordan 2018 official draw results
GROUP A
JORDAN
CHINA PR
THAILAND
PHILIPPINES
GROUP B
JAPAN
AUSTRALIA
KOREA REPUBLIC
VIETNAM