TOKYO – With the Women’s Asian Cup under way in Australia, the players’ union is calling on the Asian Football Confederation to assign it equal prize money to the men’s version, saying the current tournament has the potential to be “the most commercially successful” edition ever.
The AFC is expected to maintain total prize money for the Women’s Asian Cup through March 21 at $1.8 million, unchanged from the previous edition in 2022.
Fifpro Asia/Oceania said the tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the World Cup in Brazil next year, could generate up to $82.4 million in revenue, with an estimated attendance of 797,000, citing research by global sports intelligence agency Gemba.
Players from seven of the 12 participating teams sent a letter to the AFC in December, calling for improvements in four areas, including equal prize money and playing conditions compared with the men’s tournament.
Among them, Japan captain Yui Hasegawa, who plays for Manchester City, said, “I hope the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will offer the best conditions and make progress in the area of prize money, so it is as close as possible to the men’s.”
The Men’s Asian Cup in 2024 had a total prize pool of $14.8 million for 24 teams.
The Women’s Asian Cup prize money is also far lower than that of European women’s tournaments, with the 2025 Women’s Euros offering a $47.2 million prize pool.
“The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup should generate sufficient revenue for the AFC to be able to improve the pay and conditions for players at the tournament,” the division said in a report.
Shoko Tsuji, secretary general of Fifpro Asia/Oceania, underlined the need for continued constructive dialogue with the AFC, given that the Asian region risks falling behind other continents under the current circumstances.
“The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup represents an enormous opportunity to address historical inequalities and set a new standard for how women footballers are valued and supported across Asia,” Tsuji also said.