November 11 – Indonesia has been chosen as the host for the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup, following a recommendation from the AFC Futsal & Beach Soccer Committee.
Iran are the current AFC Futsal Champions having beaten hosts Thailand 4-1 in the 2024 final. Iran have won the title 13 times with Japan the only other nation to have triumphed with four wins.
The hosting award to Indonesia is a significant turnaround for the country that was cancelled as the host country for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 group B qualifier. Saudi Arabia instead hosted those qualifiers.
For 2026 the AFC will now use FIFA’s recently launched Futsal World Ranking to determine seeding for both the Futsal Asian Cup and the Women’s Futsal Asian Cup, replacing the previous system that relied on rankings from the prior edition. Effective from 2025, this adjustment aims to provide a more dynamic and globally aligned seeding approach.
For the AFC U17 Asian Cup, which now follows an annual schedule, the 2026 Finals will run from May 14 to 31, with Qualifiers set for November 22-30, 2025. With Qatar serving as host for the FIFA U17 World Cup from 2025 to 2029, an additional World Cup berth has been created for AFC nations.
Should Qatar, as a qualified host, place in the top eight in the AFC U17 Asian Cup, the ninth World Cup slot will go to the best third-placed team across all groups, based on criteria from the AFC Competition Operations Manual.
The AFC has also introduced new seeding principles based on each team’s results across their three most recent AFC competitions, ensuring a balanced approach for tournaments without FIFA rankings, including youth and beach soccer, starting in 2025.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1735221910labto1735221910ofdlr1735221910owedi1735221910sni@g1735221910niwe.1735221910yrrah1735221910
