Iran defeat Jordan to complete line-up for Women's Asian Cup
Iran handed Jordan a 2-1 defeat in Amman on Saturday to claim the final berth at next year's Women's Asian Cup finals, which will be held in Australia in March.
Second-half goals from Sara Didar and Negin Zandi earned Marziyeh Jafari's team a win that secured top spot in Group A of the preliminaries ahead of the Jordanians due to their better head-to-head record.
The Iranians are the last team to qualify for the finals after matches in Group A were postponed due to the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
Australia will host the 12-team tournament in Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast from March 1 to 21 and Joe Montemurro's home side will be among the favourites to lift the trophy.
Defending champions China, who have won the title a record nine times, will also be joined at the finals by South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Taiwan, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines and North Korea.
The draw will take place in Sydney on July 29.
"There's a real energy building, not just here in Australia but across Asia, and this diverse, high-quality line-up shows just how far women's football has come," said Sarah Walsh, the event's chief organising officer.
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"With so much talent and so many great stories coming together, this is going to be a tournament to remember."
The competition will also serve as Asia's qualifying tournament for the Women's World Cup in 2027 with six automatic berths available at the finals in Brazil. A further two nations will progress to a series of intercontinental playoffs. REUTERS
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