1 week Ago By Renee Valentine
Newcastle will not be a host venue for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup but the city is positioning itself for Rugby World Cup inclusion. Login or signup to continue reading The city has been a leading supporter of major women's sporting events - it was once being discussed as a home base for the Matildas - and former lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes previously expressed Newcastle's interest in the Asian tournament. "We've held the crowd record for the Matildas before the World Cup and people realised what a great sporting team they are," Nelmes told the Newcastle Herald in May as Newcastle prepared to host women's State of Origin for the first time.
"We put in for the [FIFA] Women's World Cup and we will absolutely put in for the Asian Women's Cup. We hosted the men's Asian Cup back in 2015 and it was a really successful event." The Herald understands, however, council did not put a bid in for the Asian Cup, which will be staged in Australia between March 1 to 21, 2026.
The Asian Cup overlaps the Knights and Newcastle Jets seasons. Under the criteria to be a host venue, McDonald Jones Stadium would be out of action to other sports for six weeks, meaning the Knights and Jets would have to reschedule home games during that period. The Australian Professional Leagues, who administer the A-Leagues, are yet to make a decision on whether those competitions will be paused during the Women's Asian Cup.
Stadium Australia at Homebush and Parramatta's CommBank Stadium were among five host venues announced by Football Australia on Wednesday. Perth's Optus Stadium and HBF Park plus Gold Coast's CBUS Super Stadium in Queensland are the other three. Newcastle once held the record for pulling the biggest Matildas' crowds but was overlooked for games and training base camps for the FIFA Women's World Cup last year.
The city holds the record for the biggest women's State of Origin crowd after 25,492 spectators turned out in rain-soaked conditions at McDonald Jones Stadium on June 6. The Herald reported in September that Newcastle was in the box seat to become a host city for the men's 2027 Rugby World Cup, to be staged from October 1 to November 13. The women's 2029 Rugby World Cup is also on Newcastle's radar.
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.
[email protected] Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle.
She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.
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