The afterglow of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup co-hosted in Australia and New Zealand still burns bright, with memories of sold-out stadiums, record audiences and players turned into household names. The Matildas re-shaped what women's football could look like here. The Women's Asian Cup — starting this weekend — provides Australia and visiting nations the opportunity to do just that again. Create history, bring attention to their country like never before, and seek respect and investment. But while all teams will enter the tournament on an equal footing, they have each had vastly different journeys to qualification. According to global player union FIFPro, less than two-thirds of women players in Asia identify as professional, with most earning less than $14,000 annually from the sport. Behind the spectacle of a continental championship lies a patchwork of vastly different systems, resources, and adversities.