India to host 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup at three venues - All you need to know!

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) on Friday confirmed the venues for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup scheduled to get underway in India from January 20 to February 6, 2022.

The D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, TransStadia in Ahmedabad and the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar have been selected as the three host stadiums for the marquee continental women's competition.

AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John believes that the tournament will help women's football grow leaps and bounds in India.

“Women’s football in Asia is world-class, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the LOC have selected exceptional venues that will deliver a true spectacle befitting the stature of the tournament," he said.

“The AFC is grateful to the AIFF, the LOC and the three host cities for their dedication and we are confident that the tournament will serve as a catalyst to take women’s football in India, which continues to make significant strides, to even greater heights in the coming years."

All India Football Federation (AIFF), meanwhile, is focused on developing the Indian women's football ecosystem.

“We are excited to kick off the new year with the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022. Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and Navi Mumbai have put in a lot of work to upgrade their footballing infrastructure," AIFF President and FIFA Council Member Praful Patel said

“While we have seen Navi Mumbai deliver spectacularly in 2017 for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, we are taking the game to new places with Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad through the two women's tournaments next year, which is really encouraging for our overall football ecosystem."

The Qualifiers for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 will get underway from September 13 to 25, 2021 at centralised venues with the draw scheduled to be held on May 27, 2021, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Let us have a closer look at the venues for the marquee tournament.

D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

The D.Y Patil stadium, inaugurated in 2008, is located on the outskirts of Mumbai. It holds a seating capacity of 37,900 venues and was one of the six venues of the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2017. The stadium is capable of hosting multiple events and will be the largest venue of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022.

TransStadia, Ahmedabad

The TransStadia in Ahmedabad is relatively a brand new stadium as it was inaugurated on October 7, 2016. The multi-facility, convertible stadium, was host to the second edition of the Intercontinental Cup and it has a capacity of 20,000. Besides hosting two AFC Cup matches for Chennaiyin FC, it has also played host to a multi-team Kabaddi World Cup in 2016.

The stadium has a FIFA standard football pitch with an elevation of 4.8 metres as well as 14 hospitality boxes overlooking the pitch, which can be converted into guest rooms.

Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar

The Kalinga Stadium has become an important sporting venue in the country in recent years. The stadium has hosted domestic football competitions such as the I-League, ISL (Indian Super League) and the Super Cup.

Originally built in 1978, the stadium has been utilised in sporting disciplines such as athletics, football, field hockey, basketball, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, wall climbing and swimming.

It has the capacity of accommodating over 15,000 spectators.