The referee list for the Women's Asian Cup has been announced, with a historic selection of 7 Chinese officials.

Special contributor / Jin Cuo On October 8, the AFC released the referee lineup for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, with 7 Chinese referees selected, among them Dong Fangyu and Tian Jin as main referees, and Fu Ming serving as a video match official, setting a new record in numbers.

The list includes 45 referees, 13 more than the previous edition, the highest ever for the tournament. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be used throughout the competition, including the group stage, marking a significant upgrade in officiating standards for Asian women's football events.

The referees are led by elite officials who officiated at the 2023 Women's World Cup, including Australia's Rebellert, Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita, and South Korea's Oh Hyun-jung and Kim Yoo-jung.

In this edition, China has 7 representatives: main referees Dong Fangyu and Tian Jin; assistant referees Xie Lijun and Bao Mengxiao; video match official Fu Ming; additionally, Niu Huijun serves as technical advisor and Zhang Lingling as fitness coach.

Dong Fangyu and Tian Jin are among the first graduates of the AFC Referee Academy, both being international referees and AFC elite officials.

Born in 1991, Dong Fangyu became an international referee in 2022. She graduated from Shanghai University of Sport and currently teaches physical education at Songjiang No.4 Middle School in Shanghai. She has officiated in the 2024 U20 Women's Asian Cup final, 2024 U20 Women's World Cup, 2024 U17 Men's Asian Cup qualifiers, 2024 Women's AFC Champions League final, 2025 AFC Champions League 2 Round of 16, and 2025 U17 Men's Asian Cup.

Tian Jin, born in 1993, became an international referee in 2023. She graduated from Wuhan Sports University and currently teaches at Zhejiang Yuexiu Foreign Languages College. She has officiated the World University Games, U17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, and the East Asian Youth Games men's semifinals.

Notably, Tian Jin is the first female referee to officiate a professional men's football match in China — on May 4, 2024, she served as the main referee for a China League Two match between Haigang B and Quanzhou Yaxin.

Among the assistant referees, Xie Lijun is a teacher at Sichuan University Jinjiang College's Sports Department. She became an international referee in 2023 and has officiated the U17 Women's World Cup, 2022 Women's Asian Cup, and 2023 Women's World Cup. On April 14, 2024, during the 6th round of the Chinese Super League, Xie served as the second assistant referee in the Haigang vs. Taishan match, becoming the first female referee to officiate in China's top men's professional league.

In the last Women's Asian Cup, Xie Lijun officiated four matches, including two group stage games, one quarterfinal, and one playoff match as a reserve assistant referee.

Bao Mengxiao officiated the 2024 U17 Women's Asian Cup final and the 2024 U17 Men's Asian Cup qualifiers. In April 2024, during the 6th round of China League Two, Bao served as the first assistant referee in the match between Beijing Institute of Technology and Taishan B, marking the first appearance of a female referee in China League Two.

It is worth noting that Bao Mengxiao was shortlisted as a candidate referee for the 2019 Women's World Cup but was ultimately not selected.

Among the referees, Fu Ming is undoubtedly the most experienced. This season, he has officiated in both the J-League and the Chinese Super League, aiming to qualify for the 2026 Men's World Cup.

China's large-scale participation in Women's Asian Cup officiating began in 2006, with Niu Huijun and Zhang Dongqing as main referees and Lu Lijuan as assistant referee. In the last Asian Cup, four Chinese officials participated: Qin Liang as main referee, Fang Yan and Xie Lijun as assistants, and Zhang Lingling as fitness coach.

Currently, the Chinese Football Association strives to provide as many opportunities as possible for female referees, including officiating in Asian men's matches to gain FIFA exposure. For the 2027 Women's World Cup, the association hopes to have a Chinese female referee team selected.

In 1991, Zuo Xiudi officiated as an assistant referee at the Women's World Cup and was selected for two more editions afterward; in 2023, Zhang Dongqing became the first Chinese female referee to officiate at the Women's World Cup, earning official praise for her three matches; in 2007, Niu Huijun, Fu Hongjue, and Liu Hongjuan officiated the Women's World Cup as a group; Qin Liang, Fang Yan, and Cui Yongmei were selected for consecutive World Cups in 2015 and 2019, with Qin Liang returning as main referee after an 8-year gap in 2015.

Besides the Women's World Cup, qualifying for the Olympics is also a dream for Chinese female referees. In 2000, Liu Hongjuan represented China as an assistant referee at the Olympic women's football tournament for the first time; in 2008, Niu Huijun officiated two matches as the main referee, becoming the first Chinese main referee at the Olympic women's football event; in 2024, no Chinese referees were selected for the Olympics.

The next Women's Asian Cup will be held from March 1 to 21, 2026, in Perth, Gold Coast, and Sydney, Australia.