TOKYO
\nWith the Women\u2019s Asian Cup under way in Australia, the players\u2019 union is calling on the Asian Football Confederation to assign it equal prize money to the men\u2019s version, saying the current tournament has the potential to be \u201cthe most commercially successful\u201d edition ever.
\nThe AFC is expected to maintain total prize money for the Women\u2019s 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.
\nPlayers 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\u2019s tournament.
\nAmong them, Japan captain Yui Hasegawa, who plays for Manchester City, said, \u201cI hope the AFC Women\u2019s 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\u2019s.\u201d The Men\u2019s Asian Cup in 2024 had a total prize pool of $14.8 million for 24 teams.
\nThe Women\u2019s Asian Cup prize money is also far lower than that of European women\u2019s tournaments, with the 2025 Women\u2019s Euros offering a $47.2 million prize pool.
\n\u201cThe 2026 AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup should generate sufficient revenue for the AFC to be able to improve the pay and conditions for players at the tournament,\u201d the division said in a report.
\nShoko 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.
\n\u201cThe 2026 AFC Women\u2019s 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,\u201d Tsuji also said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOKYO With the Women\u2019s Asian Cup under way in Australia, the players\u2019 union is calling on the Asian Football Confederation to assign it equal prize money to the men\u2019s version, saying the current tournament has the potential to be \u201cthe most commercially successful\u201d edition ever. The AFC is expected to maintain total prize money for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-535799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n