Soccer first originated in China, with its roots dating back 5,000 years to the time of the Yellow Emperor. Modern soccer originated in England. Soccer became an official sport at the 4th Olympic Games in London in 1908, while women's soccer became an official sport at the 26th Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Soccer is one of the few sports that has been featured at every Asian Games since the 1st Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951. Women's soccer became an official sport at the 11th Asian Games in Beijing in 1990.

While the men's Asian Games competition consists of national Olympic teams of players under the age of 23, including three overage players, the women's competition is not age-restricted. The playing field must be rectangular in shape, with the Hangzhou Asian Games soccer standard requiring a length of 105 meters and a width of 68 meters. Soccer is played by two teams with a maximum of 11 players per team, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. If either team has less than 7 players on the field, the game may not start or continue. The soccer game is divided into two halves of 45 minutes each, with an intermission of no more than 15 minutes. The referee may make up for the time lost by substituting players, treating players for injuries, players leaving the field for injuries, etc. The goal of a soccer match is based on the ball crossing the goal line as a whole, and the side with the most goals wins, while a tie will be scored if the number of goals is the same.

A total of two gold medals are expected to be awarded for soccer at the Hangzhou Asian Games.