ABC Secures Exclusive Audio Rights for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Football Australia and the ABC have announced a major broadcast partnership, naming the national broadcaster as the exclusive audio partner for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™.

The agreement ensures that every CommBank Matildas fixture and all knockout stage matches will be accessible via live audio to listeners nationwide.

The partnership comes as Australia prepares to host the prestigious continental tournament from 1 to 21 March 2026, across Sydney, Perth, and the Gold Coast.

The ABC will broadcast a minimum of 17 matches live, providing a critical “no-barrier” secondary platform for fans who are unable to access the primary television coverage on Network 10 and Paramount+.

Commenting on the broadcasting announcement, Football Australia CEO, Martin Kugeler, said: “This is an important partnership that ensures live audio coverage… which will extend the reach of the tournament to football and sport fans across the country.”

“The live audio broadcast on ABC will allow everyone in the nation to get behind the CommBank Matildas and follow their quest to become Asian champions,” Kugeler said.

Emphasising that the move was about removing barriers to entry, ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, added: “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is a significant tournament on the global football calendar.”

“With Australia playing host, it’s even more important that audiences across the country can follow the tournament,” Marks said.

Strategic Reach and Accessibility

The coverage will span eight metro radio stations, over 40 local stations, and more than 60 digital stations via the ABC listen app.

To streamline the user experience, ABC Sport will launch a dedicated “Asian Cup” button within the app for instant access to live streams and tournament news.

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