The AFC Women’s Asian Cup (formerly known as the AFC Women’s Championship) is the oldest women’s international football competition.
It was founded in 1975, and there have been 20 tournaments held since its inception.
Historically, the men’s teams in Asia have not performed as well as those from Europe or South America. While this is also somewhat true on the women’s side of the sport, it does not seem to be nearly as big of a difference in ranking, with the top five Asian women’s teams all placing in the top 20 in the world.
Here is a look at the five highest-rated women’s Asian teams in the AFC at the moment.
#5 – Korea Republic
Korea Republic comes in at the fifth spot, ranking 20th globally. In 2019 they reached their peak rank of #14. Their lowest rank was #26.
The team has been remarkably consistent when it comes to their play, with only eight positions separating them from their lowest and highest spot on the FIFA rankings.
They qualified for the Women’s World Cup four times, with their best placement being the round of 16 in 2015.
4. China PR
In the fourth spot, we have China.
China is currently ranked 19th in the world, which is the lowest they have ever been ranked. It is, however, 60 ranks higher than their male counterparts.
The highest rank achieved by the team was in 2005 when they moved into fourth spot. After that year, they slowly continued to drop in rank until 2021, when they received the rank that they still have today.
The team had made some improvements since then, climbing back up to the 13th spot for a brief while, but it looks as though they have not been able to keep themselves there.
3. Australia
Currently ranked #12 in the world, Australia takes the number third spot on this list. While they are not technically an Asian country, they became the 46th member of the AFC when they joined in 2006, one month after the men’s team made the same move.
Their highest rank was achieved in 2017, taking fourth place in the world rankings. The lowest rank for the country was 12 years earlier when they had held #15 on the leaderboard in 2005.
Australia also takes the third spot in the Men’s AFC rankings, placing 25th in the world.
2. Korea DPR
Perhaps the most surprising contender on this list is that of North Korea, which comes in at #9 in the world.
The isolated Asian nation is generally very secretive, with the government only wanting very carefully selected information to get out to the public. The country is not very well-known for its international sports presence. However, despite this, they have managed to secure the number two spot on our list.
They are also the team with the largest difference in rank between their female and male teams, as their men’s team currently sits at 116th in the men’s ranking. The women’s team have never dropped below 12th and achieved their highest rank of ninth back in 2011.
North Korea shocked the world when their men’s team managed to beat Italy 1-0 in the 1966 World Cup.
1. Japan
Japan has always been a powerhouse when it comes to football. Their women’s team is currently eighth in the world. Their lowest rank was 14th in 2004, and their highest rank was third, something they were able to keep from 2011 to 2013.
The team has played in every Women’s World Cup, winning in 2011, and coming in second place in 2015, when they lost in penalty kicks against the United States.
Similar to their men’s team, they have become known for their ability to work together as a team, creating amazing opportunities for their teammates, and working as a singular unit.
In international games, they have 171 wins, 48 draws, and 88 losses, putting them at an almost 56% win rate.