ASIAD 2026 has unexpected changes in football.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has made a notable decision regarding football at the 2026 Asian Games by canceling the plan to limit the number of participating teams in both men's and women's events.

ASIAD 2026 football will not restrict the number of participating teams.

According to information released by ASEAN Football, this decision was made after Japan's proposal to limit the number of participating teams faced opposition from some member federations.

Previously, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Japanese Olympic Committee discussed and agreed on a plan that would only allow teams that passed continental tournament qualifiers to participate in football at ASIAD 2026.

Specifically, in men's football, only 16 teams that qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 finals would be eligible to participate. Meanwhile, in women's football, only 12 teams that reach the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 finals would be permitted to register.

However, in the current situation where some eligible teams withdrew, and many countries that did not meet the above criteria strongly protested, OCA decided to reject the qualification-based restriction plan.

With this latest decision, national football federations across Asia will once again be free to register their teams for football at the 2026 Asian Games, instead of being bound by the initial qualification criteria.

This change is considered a significant adjustment, as football is always one of the most popular sports at ASIAD. Reopening registration rights may help more teams gain opportunities to participate in the largest continental sports event held in Japan in 2026.