March 2, 2026
The 21st edition of the Asian Woman’s Cup was currently being held in Australia and featured 12 countries in three groups of four. The top two in each group would qualify for the quarter-finals, together with the two best third place finishers.
China had won the tournament on 9 occasions, followed by North Korea and Taiwan with 3 titles. Japan had won twice, and Australia, New Zealand and Thailand each had one success. All were present at this edition, apart from New Zealand, who won the inaugural tournament in 1975, but were now part of Oceania. China were the defending champions, having beaten South Korea 3-2 in the 2022 final in Mumbai.
Most on-line bookmakers made Japan the favourites for the tournament, followed by Australia, North Korea, then China and South Korea. The best six sides in the tournament will directly qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
South Korea National Side
The South Korean women's national side were currently 21st in the FIFA rankings which made them the 5th strongest side in Asia. They did not have to qualify for the finals, as the hosts and the top three placed sides in 2022 Asian Cup were exempt.
Matches in the past year had seen home draws with China ( 2-2 ) and Japan ( 1-1 ) and a 2-0 victory over Taiwan. They had then played a 1-1 draw with Wales in a game played in Spain, but last time out were thrashed 0-5 away by The Netherlands.
They missed out on a place in the 2024 Olympics, where despite beating Thailand 10-1, draws with North Korea and China saw them eliminated after North Korea beat China to top the group. Ultimately, Australia and Japan took the two spaces available for Asia.
South Korea qualified for the 2023 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, but they failed to progress from their group after unexpected losses to Colombia ( 0-2 ) and Morocco ( 0-1 ), and a 1-1 draw with Germany.
South Korea’s build up had been affected by a dispute with the players, who had complained the support they received from their Federation in terms of training facilities, transport, accommodation etc was vastly inferior to that provided to the men’s team, and there were threats of a boycott. However, the squad travelled to Australia.
The side’s nickname is sometimes the Tigresses of Asia.
South Korea Domestic League
Fatbear had reported on one match from the WK League, a 0-0 draw between Gyeongju KHNP and Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels in June 2024.
The league consists of 8 sides who play each other 4 times for a 28-game regular season. Second and third then play a one-off semi-final for the right to play the top side over two legs. Incheon had won 13 consecutive championships, but Suwon broke that run in 2024 when Incheon could only finish in 4th place.
The 2025 champions were Hwacheon KSPO, who overcame Seoul City in the final.
South Korea Squad
17 of the South Korea squad play in the domestic league, but 9 were playing abroad, with three in Canada, two in the USA and Norway, and one each in Italy and Scotland.
18- year-old Casey Phair ( 10 caps ) was the first multi-racial player to playr South Korea, with an American father, and she grew up in the USA. Midfielder Kim Shin-ji ( 10 caps ) was on loan from Roma to Rangers, whilst Park Soo-jeong was with AC Milan. Ex Red Angels winger Choo Hyo-joo ( 58 caps ) was now playing for Canadian side Ottawa Rapids.
Midfielder Choe Yu-ri ( 67 caps ) had played in England for Birmingham in WSL2 but was now back home with Suwon. Captain Ji So-Yun was the record cap holder with 171 appearances and also the record scorer with 74 goals. Ji was now back home playing for Suwon after having played in England for Chelsea and Birmingham, and in the USA for Seattle Reign.
Players who featured in the game covered by Fatbear in 2024 were midfielder Jang Sel-gi ( 108 caps ) and defender Kim Jin-hui ( 8 caps ) for Gyeongju KHNP, and of the Red Angels side, defender Kim Hyr-ri ( 136 caps ) was now with Suwon and forward Son Hwa-yeon ( 58 caps ) now played for Gangjin Swans.
Iran National Side
The Iranian national side were ranked 68th in the world so were the second lowest ranked side in the Asian Cup. However, with the bombings of the country by the USA and Israel, they may have had more important things on their minds that playing a game of football. So much so, none of the squad or coaches sung the national anthem before the kick-off…….
Woman’s football was banned after the 1979 revolution but resumed in 2004. Until 2019, women were banned from watching men’s football but although the restriction has been lifted, it is still often difficult for women to attend.
Iran’s women footballers have to have all of their body covered, except for their faces and hands, so their players wore hijabs and thick tights, although on several times the hijabs slipped, so the players had to take time to readjust them. In a sport where marginal gains can be important, this must present a handicap.
Iran qualified for the finals by topping their group, which was played in Jordan, beating Singapore ( 4-0 ), Bhutan ( 7-1 ) and Jordan ( 2-1 ), but lost to Lebanon ( 1-3). However, Iran qualified by virtue of their head-to-head record with Jordan, who had also three wins.
Since then, wins in friendlies against India and Nepal were recorded but then two defeats were suffered in Uzbekistan.
Bam Khatoon, from the city of Bam, are the dominant club in the Iranian Kowsar Women’s League with 11 titles out of the 17 competitions that have been held since it was founded in 2007. Shahrdari Sirjan had won twice, the most recent in 2020/21. With an upsurge in interest, some of the big traditional men’s clubs have formed women’s sides, and Persepolis won promotion to the top level at the end of last season.
Bam Khatoon have performed respectably in the past three editions of the AFC Women’s Champions League. In 2024/25 they reached the quarter-finals after victories over sides from Bhutan, Hong Kong and Thailand but narrowly lost to Incheon Red Angels ( 0-1 ). In the current competition, Nasaf of Uzbekistan were beaten 1-0 but defeats to East Bengal ( 1-3 ) and Wuhan ( 0-4 ) saw them exit in the group stage.
All bar one of the Iranian squad played domestically, the one exception being goalkeeper Maryam Yektaei, who played in Turkey for Amed. 10 players came from Bam Khatoon, 4 from Persepolis, 3 each from Gol Gohar Sirjan and Sangin Mashin Ista, and two from Malavan.
The captain was forward Zahra Ghanbari.
The Iranian side have a few nicknames, including the Iranian Lionesses, Parsi Women or Persian Ladies.
Matchday Information
Today match was being played at the 27,690 capacity Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland, which is home to NRL side Gold Coast Titans, and occasionally used by A-League side Brisbane Roar. It had also hosted five Rugby Union test matches, five Rugby League tests and one Socceroo qualifier.
The weather at the 19.00 local time kick-off ( 09.00 UK ) was dry and the temperature 24 degrees.
Tickets for the game ranged between 20 to 30 AUD ( £10.50 to £16 )
Bet365, who were streaming the game live, made South Korea 1/28 favourites, with Iran at 40/1 and the draw at 16/1. The match was also streamed on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel with an English commentary.
South Korea were in kit of all red whilst Iran were in all white. The referee was from Kyrgyzstan.
Match Report
South Korea attacked right from the off but an early left-wing cross was well claimed by Iran keeper Yektaei.
In the third minute Mun Eun-ju ran onto Jung Min-young’s chip to get to the byline, and her pull back found Choe 12 yards out but the first time shot produced a smart diving from Yektaei to push the ball past post for a corner.
Two minutes later Mun was again put in behind left back Fatemeh Makhdoomi and sent a dangerous ball across the goalmouth. Choe couldn’t get there and Kang Chae-rim, beyond far post, shot well wide.
South Korea forced two corners, and from the second one Ji received a short corner, beat two defenders, but then shot across goal but just high and wide of far post.
It was a game of attack versus defence, and brave defending by Fatemeh Amineh stopped a flowing move.
South Korea should have opened the scoring in the 14th minute. This time Choi Yoo-jung played Mun into space in the right-hand channel and the low cross picked out Kang unmarked 10 yards from goal, but the Montreal midfielder mis-kicked and the ball trickled through to the keeper.
Ji then went on a weaving run, but a last-ditch interception from Afsaneh Chatrenoor to the reverse pass prevented Choe from being clear.
With 17 minutes played a nice move of first-time passes cut the Iran defence apart, with the final pass from Noh Jin-young putting Mun clear, but the left footed shot was weak and an easy save for Yektaei. It seemed only a matter of time before South Korea would convert their chances into goals !
A chip forward enabled Ji to shoot from edge of area but Shabnem Beheshi made a good block. A low cross from Choi was put over her own bar by Amineh, and the corner bounced around in the area until Yektaei dived on it.
The first yellow card of the match was shown in the 25th minute when Atefeh Imani made a late, clumsy tackle on Choi just outside the area. Choi got up to take the free-kick, only to send it over the wall but also high over the bar.
Kim Hyr-ri sent an inviting cross into the Iran area, and the keeper got to it just ahead of a Korean attacker but no-one was on hand to take advantage of the punch
As perhaps a sign of some growing frustration, Jung then Choi saw long range efforts sail harmlessly over the bar.
Iran were forced to make a substitution in the 36th minute was Chatrenoor suffered an injury after coming out worse following a challenge with Kim Hyr-ri and needed to be carried off on a stretcher.
South Korea took advantage of Iran temporarily being down to 10. Ji ran towards the Iran 18-yard line pass to Choi, whose wall pass enabled Jang to burst into area. Her left-footed shot went across the goal and struck the base of the post but Choe reacted ahead of three defenders to turn and shoot into the roof of the net from 6 yards. 1-0 after 37 minutes.
South Korea continued to exploit space on the right-hand side, and Choe was put into a good position, but could only cross straight to Yektaei, who made a routine catch.
With 42 minutes on the clock another first time passing move saw Choe’s flick put Mun clear, who attempted to lift the ball over advancing keeper, but the effort was going wide before being cleared.
A minute later a long ball saw Ji get to it before the advancing keeper, and the veteran’s touch took the ball past Yektaei, but with the goal gapping Ji put the ball into the side netting.
Five added first-half minutes were to be played and Mun was put clear on the right, but her cross was volleyed over at far post over by the unmarked Choe. Still South Korea continued to miss gilt-edged chances, and from a cross by Kim Hyr-ri, Kang was unmarked 6 yards out in the centre of goal, but somehow put the chance wide.
At half-time it was only 1-0 but should have been at least 5 or 6 after the most one-sided half of football Fatbear had ever since. The statistics showed South Korea had 20 goal attempts, and I didn’t remember the Korean keeper Kim touching the ball once.
Iran made three changes at the start of the second half, including taking off the hapless left-back Makhdoomi and anonymous centre-back Shahnaz Jafarizadeh. These changes seemed to initially bring more solidity to Iran’s play and in the 47th minute the South Korean keeper actually got to touch the ball when a back-pass was needed.
A Korean corner was well punched away by Yektaei in the 50th minute but the South Korea were struggling to breakdown a better organised Iranian defence.
In the 53rd minute, Iran actually had a shot. A nice interchange on edge of area with Mohaddeseh Zolfi saw Fatemeh Pasasdideh have some space, but the effort lacked power and went straight at the keeper. Two minutes later an optimistic attempt from the half-way line went closer to the corner flag than the Korean goal.
In order to reassert their dominance South Korea made a triple substitution of their own, and these changes had an instant impact when Molde’s Lee Eun-young was brought down inside the area by Melika Motevalli as she turned for goal. It was a clear penalty. The keeper got a hand to Kim Hyr-ri’s side footer as she dived to her left, but the ball crept inside the post. 2-0 in the 58th minute.
Kim Min-ji’s cross from the left was too close to Yektaei, who made another confident catch.
Iran had their best chance of the game in the 66th minute. A free-kick from just inside the Korean half was taken by Amineh and bounced inside the Korean area, but Sara Didar could only head into the keeper’s hands from 6 yards.
South Korea’s short passing game finally broke-open the Iranian rearguard for the first time in the second half, but after being played in by Song Jae-eun, Lee’s cross-cum-shot across goal stayed in play.
With 72 minutes played, a lovely back heel on the edge of the area by Kim Min-ji put Jang clear, but her left-foot effort from a tight angle went across goal and wide of the far post for a goal-kick.
South Korea were awarded a freekick on the edge of the area after a foul by Amineh on Song. Kim Hyr-ri’s delivery was met with a glancing header by Ko Yoo-jin, unmarked just outside the 6 yard line, and flew into top corner. The keeper had no chance with that one. 3-0 in the 74th minute.
A minute later Kim Min-ji’s drilled cross from the left was volleyed just wide by Song from beyond the far post.
Kim Min-ji was then put clear inside area by Song but her side footed shot was blocked by Yektaei diving to her left. Kim Min-ji should have tapped in the replay but scuffed the effort, and the keeper got back to push away for a corner.
With five minutes remaining, substitute Phair’s shot on the turn from the edge of the area drifted wide under pressure from Pasandideh
A lengthy injury delay ensued after Noh had accidentally trod on Didar’s foot. When play resumed, Phair headed Jang’s corner high over the bar.
Seven added minutes were to be played, in which a scramble in the Iran 6 yard box saw Motevalli’s clearance hit Kim Min-ji and fly over the bar. A goal-kick was given with three Iranian defenders on the floor with slight injuries.
The final pieces of actions saw Phair weakly head Jan’s free-kick to Yektaei then Jang made a strong run but her 20-yard effort was directed at the keeper for routine save.
Iran had played much better in the second half, but ironically, despite looking significantly better organised, conceded two more goal, but did fashion a couple of half chances.
South Korea ultimately had 30 shots during the game but only 7 were on target, and some of those were poor finishes that should have been buried. They would need to be a lot more clinical when they come to face the top sides in the tournament.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_t8W8FuLFg
South Korea : Kim M – Kim HR, Jang, Ko, Noh – Mun ( Phair ), Choe ( Lee ), Jung, Kang ( Song ) –Ji ( Kim SJ ), Choi ( Kim MJ )
Iran : Yektaei – Motevalli, Jafarizadeh ( Pasandideh ), Amineh, Imani, Makhdoomi ( Zolfi )– Beheshi ( Hamoudi ), Sarbali,, Chatrenoor ( Didar ), Shaban – Ghanbari ( Dini )
