Record crowds at the Asian Cup have been celebrated as a watershed for the women's game, but the tournament has also highlighted issues of gender inequality and a divide between the continent's rich and emerging nations. The record attendance of 60,279 at Stadium Australia was the largest ever for a Women's Asian Cup match, beating the previous record of 59,910 at the 2010 event. The final between Australia and Japan will bring the total attendance to over 300,000, more than five times the previous records. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Football Committee chairperson Kanya Keomany believes this edition represents a significant turning point for women's football in Asia. Despite expanding the tournament to 12 nations from eight in 2022, the gap between traditional powers and the rest remains as stark as ever. Critics argue that progress in developing the women’s game has been uneven and that the $1.8m pool at the 2023 Women's World Cup is the lowest among women's continental competitions, barely half of that offered by the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.