World Footy News

The following is the AFL's media release about the tournament

Xin chào! Vietnam to host international footy carnival

Around 300 participants representing 10 countries are set to descend on Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam next week for the 2024 AFL Asia Cup, to be played from December 6-8.
 
The Thanh Long Sports Centre will host the nine-a-side carnival, which will be a celebration of Australian Rules Football and the game’s extensive presence across Asia.
 
There will be open male (10 teams) and open female (five teams) divisions in what will be the first major international competition for many of the competing teams since the last AFL International Cup was staged in 2017.

2024 AFL Asia Cup – Competing nations
 
Male                          Female
Cambodia                 Cambodia
China                        China
Hong Kong, China    Indonesia
India                          Pakistan
Indonesia                  Thailand
Japan     
Laos     
Pakistan     
Thailand     
Vietnam     
 
In the men’s competition, there will be two pools of five teams, culminating in semi-finals and a final. In the women’s division, there will be one pool of five teams.
 
Player selection is based on performance in domestic competitions. Each team manages their own selection process, with AFL-mandated criteria being that each player must be a citizen of the country they are representing.

 
Head of AFL Queensland and International, Trisha Squires, said: "The 2024 Asia Cup will bring together teams and cultures from across Asia in what will be an exciting showcase of the game and also tell a powerful story about the popularity and impact of Australian Rules Football in the region.
 
“It takes a lot of work to pull together an international event of this scale and credit to the officials and players from different parts of Asia who will be competing, as well as our wonderful hosts from the Vietnam Swans.
 
“As the final event in what’s been a big year for international football, with the AFL also staging the Transatlantic Cup and Pacific Cup, seeing 10 countries come together in Ho Chi Minh City promises to be a special, culturally diverse celebration of our great game.”
 
Vietnam is a fitting host for the event. Local club the Swans have established a strong presence in the country since forming in the late 1990s and the Vietkick introductory program, based on NAB AFL Auskick, has grown in popularity.
 
Across Asia, participation in Australian Rules Football has surged 30 per cent year-on-year in 2024, with female participation up 24 per cent in that period. There are more than 15,000 people participating in Australian Rules Football across the region.
 
The AFL International Cup was first staged in 2002 and held every three years through to 2017. The 2020 event was cancelled because of the pandemic and then the AFL announced that the 2023 edition would not be held as the game continued its recovery from two years of disruption.
 
The focus shifted to the best and most appropriate way to get international competition going again and last year the AFL announced plans for three international regional championships in 2024, being the Transatlantic Cup (Toronto, August), the Pacific Cup (Maroochydore, November) and the Asia Cup.
 
Live streaming - watch every game
Every game of the 2024 AFL Asia Cup will be streamed live and free via the AFL Play YouTube (youtube.com/@AFLPlay) and AFL Asia YouTube (youtube.com/@aflasia) channels.