The Women’s Asian Cup should be a celebration of progress, history and growing quality in the women’s game. Yet, the tournament has instead been overshadowed by a familiar set of controversies. From its place in the calendar to player welfare, officiating standards, pitch conditions and long-standing underinvestment, the competition continues to raise serious questions about how it is valued and organised.
“I don't think any other major tournament runs through a season, and obviously that is disappointing for some.” Ellie Carpenter’s comment encapsulates the central frustration surrounding the Women’s Asian Cup. Unlike most major international tournaments, it has been staged during the European club season, directly clashing with the business end of domestic campaigns when finals, title races and knockout football dominate. This is the period when clubs are at their most stretched and when players are expected to perform at peak intensity week after week.
The consequences have been felt across the Women’s Super League. All 12 WSL clubs have lost players to the tournament, with 28 based in England away on international duty. The disruption was most visible in showpiece fixtures. Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter were both absent from the League Cup final, missing the opportunity to win a medal with their club, while Manchester United were without Hinata Miyazawa during a crucial phase of the season. These are not marginal squad players but key figures, and their absence alters competitions, outcomes and the integrity of domestic finals.
For players at the top end of the game, the demands are even more intense. Those representing Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United face a rapid turnaround, returning from an international tournament featuring high-stakes matches every few days straight into decisive league fixtures and Champions League quarter-finals with little recovery time. There is minimal opportunity for a proper pre-tournament camp due to club commitments, and almost no rest once the tournament ends, creating a relentless physical and mental load.
Concerns around player welfare have been compounded by the decision to stage the tournament in Australia during the height of summer. Climate has often been cited as a reason for unusual scheduling across Asia, where extreme heat, monsoon rains and tropical storms can make hosting a major tournament unsafe at certain times of year. However, this logic does not hold for an Australian-hosted edition, where peak summer conditions expose players to intense heat and place additional strain on recovery and performance rather than avoiding it.
Officiating standards have also come under heavy scrutiny, most notably in the semi-final between Australia and China. A challenge on Katrin Gorry saw a Chinese player arrive late with studs exposed, the ball already past her foot, no attempt to play it and clear danger to the opponent. Under the Laws of the Game set out by IFAB, a tackle that endangers an opponent’s safety or uses excessive force constitutes serious foul play. Whether the ball is present or not is irrelevant if the follow-through is dangerous. Endangering safety and excessive force are red-card offences, yet no dismissal was shown, and VAR did not intervene. The incident reinforced long-standing criticism of inconsistent refereeing and poor use of technology at the tournament.
Conditions off the ball have not helped either. The final between Australia and China was played on an uneven, visibly patchy surface at a multi-sport stadium regularly used for Australian rules football and cricket. Such venues often suffer from worn areas and inconsistent footing, directly impacting the quality and safety of the football. For a continental final, these conditions sit uneasily with claims of professionalism and ambition, particularly as expectations around standards continue to rise.
These organisational shortcomings are not isolated incidents but part of a wider pattern. Despite celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Women’s Asian Cup remains the lowest-paying continental competition in women’s football, with total prize money fixed at just US$1.8 million. Prize money was only introduced in 2022 and is limited to the top four teams, unlike comparable tournaments that reward all participating nations. Players have repeatedly called for fairer pay, proper consultation and greater respect, but those concerns have largely gone unanswered.
The criticism extends beyond finances. Poor refereeing, inconsistent VAR use and a lack of professionalism undermine a tournament that also serves as a qualification pathway for the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games. That pathway role makes the standard of organisation and officiating even more significant, yet the competition continues to lag behind other regions where investment and infrastructure have accelerated.
The AFC has defended its position by arguing that the women’s game in Asia is still in a growth phase and that prize money and investment depend on commercial revenue. However, this argument is increasingly challenged by evidence from Australia, where the Matildas have outperformed the men’s national team commercially in recent years. It highlights that investment is not simply a reward for growth but a driver of it.
FIFPRO has been outspoken, arguing that a world-class tournament should not ask players to wait for respect while other regions invest now. For many players and observers, the combination of mid-season scheduling, welfare concerns, poor officiating, substandard pitches and limited financial backing points to a deeper issue. A tournament with such history and importance continues to be treated as secondary. Until that changes, the Women’s Asian Cup will remain defined as much by controversy as by the football played on the pitch.
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