Women's Asian Cup qualifiers postponed due to Israel-Iran conflict, Singapore FA says
The Singapore team had been expected to travel to Amman to face Jordan, Iran, Lebanon and Bhutan in the preliminary rounds for the 2026 finals, which are to be held in Australia next March.
The qualifiers had been scheduled to kick off on Monday and run until July 5.
"The Lionesses will face a delay to the start of their AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 qualifying campaign after the Asian Football Confederation announced the postponement of all Group A matches," the association said.
"The AFC cited the ongoing situation in the region and logistical concerns raised by several participating member associations as reasons for the change.
"A new neutral venue is expected to host the group fixtures, but has yet to be confirmed."
Reuters has contacted the AFC for comment.
Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It said its nuclear programme is peaceful.
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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Daily Maverick
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Though the sports are different, there are similarities between the Springboks' 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning campaign and England's recent defence of their European title. There are two main ways to win a tournament in sports. One is how the Brazilian men's soccer team did it at the 2002 World Cup. They crushed all challengers as they sauntered to overall victory by winning all their games. The other way is to grind out victories, fighting back when obituaries have already been scribed in relation to the team's campaign. England's senior women's soccer side employed this second strategy on the way to retaining their status as the best in Europe by winning Euro 2025. The Lionesses defeated reigning world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties to defend the title they first won in 2022, after the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate following 120 minutes of fierce fighting. The English victory was sweet revenge for their failure in the 2023 World Cup final, where their Spanish counterparts downed them 1-0. Roller coaster campaign England's tumultuous campaign – which began with 2-1 group-stage defeat to fellow title hopefuls France – was characterised by grit, personality, unity, belief and dogged determination. Following that loss critics sounded the death knell on the Lionesses' title defence, with Spain firmly occupying the favourites seat as a result. Nevertheless, England won two of their remaining group games convincingly – against the Netherlands (4-0) and Wales (6-1) – to seal a spot in the quarterfinals. Those would be the last straightforward matches for the European champions. In the last eight, versus a tough Sweden, the Lionesses fought from 2-0 down to level the match at two all. Eventually penalties were needed to separate the teams, with England securing a 3-2 shootout win. Against Italy in the semifinals it was another marathon match as England clinched a 2-1 extra-time victory to reach a second successive Euro final. Surely their luck would run out in the final? Especially against a Spanish outfit that had swatted aside all competitors on the way to the decider, including eight-time European champions Germany. Yet, somehow England once again rallied from a goal down to level the score at 1-1 and drag the contest in their third consecutive extra-time battle. After no separation there, penalties were necessary, and the Lionesses roared to a 3-1 victory to retain their title. The win made coach Sarina Wiegman a three-time European champion following her orchestration of a smoother Euro win for England three years ago. Her first Euro gold came while she was in charge of her native Netherlands in 2017. 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Strong leadership Central to both teams being such mentality monsters are their coaches – Erasmus for the Boks and Wiegman for the Lionesses. By all accounts, both leaders are trailblazers and innovators in their sports. By instilling values of 'all for one and one for all', as well as crafting clear identities for their teams, they have built formidable outfits. Fuelling these talented and tenacious teams is the idea of playing for a bigger cause. For the Springboks it is about showing that despite South Africa's fractured past and its prevailing socioeconomic inequalities, it's possible for the people of the country to work together and produce something as exceptional as the national team. In the case of the Lionesses and Wiegman, the bigger picture revolves around the fact that, globally, women's sports are still fighting for the limelight and to be taken seriously. 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IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
England's Lionesses party with thousands of fans after Euro 2025 triumph
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eNCA
5 days ago
- eNCA
England's Lionesses return to heroes' welcome after Euro 2025 glory
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