There is no official word yet on exactly when the Women’s Asian Cup will be played,with stadium and training base inspections to occur in the coming months,but sources who were unauthorised to speak publicly say it is likely to be across late February and early March in 2026. That is only a season-and-a-half away,and that means decisions made today around their club careers will influence where players sit in the pecking order down the road.

And speaking of pecking orders,there is the small matter of the coach. Tony Gustavsson’s contract expires at the end of the Paris Olympics,and he has been non-committal – evasive,even – on the topic of his future,and whether he had any desire to stick around beyond that. We also don’t know if FA would want him. But again,the chance to have a second shot at winning something with this group of players on home soil could change things. Given the relatively short runway,perhaps continuity would not be such a bad thing. Those discussions would surely be taking place now,behind closed doors,with contingency plans being drawn up.

For FA,it gives chief executive James Johnson something tangible to use in ongoing arguments with government over the “urgent need for improved facilities” to address the massive surge in participation following the World Cup. For the sport,which always seems to be wrangling with an existential crisis of some form or another,it ensures there will be more good times ahead.

For the rest of us? It’s just another reason to get excited.

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