BTC Asiad 20 makes a new decision, Indonesia again qualifies for the Asian Games

According to sources, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has lifted participation restrictions for both men's and women's football at the 2026 Asian Games (Asiad), after the proposal from host nation Japan faced opposition from member federations.

Specifically, earlier, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Japanese Olympic Committee had discussed and agreed on limiting the number of participating teams. For men's football, only the 16 teams qualifying for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals would be eligible to participate. Meanwhile, for women's football, only the 12 teams qualifying for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup finals would have the right to compete.

However, due to the current situation—including withdrawals by some qualified teams and strong opposition from nations not meeting the proposed criteria—the OCA decided to reject the qualification-based participation rule. Consequently, all national football federations will once again be free to register their teams for the football tournaments at the 2026 Asian Games.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) has also confirmed this: "The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) submitted an application to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since information indicated that the 16 men's teams participating in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals would secure spots for the Olympics, while the 12 spots for women would go to countries participating in the Asian Cup currently held in Australia. But those criteria would exclude Hong Kong.

However, on Thursday, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) issued a press release stating they had 'received official notification from the Hong Kong Olympic Committee (OCA) confirming that Hong Kong's men's and women's football teams are approved to participate in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, starting on September 14.'"

Previously, host Japan faced considerable controversy after proposing this rule for the Asiad, with the Indonesian Olympic Committee being among the organizations in Southeast Asia that strongly opposed it. They also submitted a complaint to the OCA.