The 20-member national women's soccer team left for Australia Monday to participate in the Asia Football Confederation's Asian Cup 2006 set to open on Sunday.

A total of nine countries will compete in two groups and the top two teams of each group will advance into the second round and automatically qualify for the Women's World Cup tournament.

Three-point-five tickets to the FIFA Women’s World Cup slated for next year in China are at stake in the competition. Australia will host for the first time after joining the Asian football governing body early this year.

The participating countries are South and North Korea, China, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar.