Women’s Asian Cup 2022 will be held in Mumbai and Pune in India after Bhubaneshwar and Ahmedabad were removed from the list by the Asain Football Confederation (AFC) to minimise the travelling time for participants and ensure an optimum environment for a bio-secure bubble.
The three chosen venues are the Mumbai Football Arena at Andheri Sports Complex, the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune and DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. The AFC made a statement in a press release, “The decision was confirmed taking into careful consideration the existing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They added, “the 37,900 capacity D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will remain as one of the three stadiums that will stage the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 which is on schedule to take place from January 20 to February 6.” Praful Patel, President of All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) said, “As the situation evolved we had to adapt and the need was to create a bio-secure bubble.”
The hosts India have already booked their spot in the finals and the race to join the quartet will take centre stage from September this year when 28 teams, across eight groups, will face the eight remaining places in the biggest edition of the Continental women’s showpiece.
