New Venues for AFC Women'

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Three new venues for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 in India have been confirmed by the authorities. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Local Organising Committee (LOC), on Tuesday confirmed that the Mumbai Football Arena- Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai and the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune will be the new venues and host cities for the women's national team competition slated to be played in January-February.

The decision about the new venues was confirmed after considering the current situation in the host nation amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Also, safety of players and officials has been prioritised by making sure that they don't have to travel a lot between the venues. A suitable environment for implementing the bio-medical bubble was also a major point in deciding the new venues.

AFC Women's Asian Cup to kick off on 20th Jaunary, 2022

The AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 is scheduled to start on January 20 and conclude on February 6, 2022 in India. The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai with a capacity to host 37,900 spectators has been kept in the list of the three stadiums where the games will be played. Meanwhile, Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai and the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune are the new entrants. It is worth noting that Japan, Australia, China PR, and hosts India have already booked their spots for the main event which will see a total of 12 teams taking part.

Teams divided into eight groups to play qualifiers

A total of 28 teams will be fighting later this year to join the quartet of already qualified teams. These 28 teams have been divided into a group of eight from Group A to Group H. Group A to D has four teams each whereas Group E to H has three teams in one group. Chinese Taipei, Bahrain, Turkmenistan, and Laos have been drawn into Group A, while Group B has Vietnam, Tajikistan, Maldives, and Afghanistan. DPR Korea, Singapore, Iraq, and Indonesia have been put in Group C, while Myanmar, Lebanon, UAE, and Guam are in Group D.

Korea Republic, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia constitute Group E; Nepal, Hong Kong, and Philippines are in Group F. Iran, Jordan, and Bangladesh have been put in Group G, while Palestine, Malaysia, and Thailand make Group H.