AFC Women’s Football Conference 2024 proclaims optimistic future

The AFC Women’s Football Conference 2024 has heralded a positive future for women’s football after a successful three day gathering.

Hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the conference welcomed women’s national team coaches and technical staff to share insights from November 12 to 14, building off an incredibly prosperous year of women’s football.

The opening day of the conference celebrated the achievements of Asian teams, including Australia’s semi-final appearance at the Women’s World Cup 2023.

AFC General Secretary, Datuk Seri Windsor John, outlined the importance of celebrating these achievements to power women’s football.

“The AFC has underlined the development of women’s football as one of the key drivers in bringing to life our Vision and Mission statements and nowhere are these ambitions more pronounced than in the Asian women’s game with our teams, across all ages, already being a global force,” he said via press release.

“This year, we’ve celebrated several milestones such as an all-Asian final in Colombia, DPR Korea’s incredible triumphs, and the launch of the AFC Women’s Champions League™. We must keep up the momentum and use this platform to unlock the true potential of women’s football in Asia.”

Day two of the conference provided participants an overview of the upcoming AFC Women’s Champions League, the AFC Women’s Calendar for 2025-29 and changes to Asian women’s competitions.

The final day of the conference presented an analysis of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2024’s teams and a forum on the future of women’s football, featuring Australia U20 women’s national team head coach Leah Blayney.

Australia U17 women’s national team head coach, Rae Dower, expressed excitement for Australian women’s football with the Asian Cup heading down under in 2026.

“The future is so exciting, especially now that we have the dates and venues confirmed for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™,” she said via press release.

“The football fever from the FIFA Women’s World Cup is still very strong with the Matildas continuously selling out stadiums. We can’t wait for the rest of Asia to come and share the experience with us.”

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia, will begin March 1, 2026, learn more here.

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How James Johnson Is Shaping Canada Soccer’s Billion-Dollar World Cup Commercial Future

Canada Soccer has confirmed a renewed long-term commercial agreement with Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment, marking a significant reset in the federation’s revenue strategy as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The updated partnership extends CSME’s control of Canada Soccer’s commercial rights, including sponsorship, broadcast and media licensing, while introducing revised financial terms designed to provide the federation with greater long-term revenue certainty and growth potential. The agreement replaces a previous deal that faced heavy scrutiny from players and stakeholders over concerns surrounding commercial valuation and distribution of revenues.

CSME, led by Group Chief Executive James Johnson, played a central role in renegotiating the structure, which aims to better align commercial returns with the sport’s accelerating domestic and international profile. The revised framework is expected to support increased investment across national team programs, commercial development and broader football growth initiatives.

The agreement arrives at a pivotal moment for Canadian football, with momentum building across both men’s and women’s programs and global attention increasing ahead of 2026. Securing a more sustainable commercial model is viewed as critical to ensuring the federation can maximise opportunities generated by hosting football’s largest tournament.

The renewed partnership also signals a shift toward long-term commercial planning, providing Canada Soccer with a more stable financial platform as it looks to strengthen its competitive standing and expand participation nationwide.

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