AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Who will India face in the group stage?

The Indian women’s football team has qualified for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and this is the first time that the team has qualified on merit rather than through an invitation or by organizing the competition.

His last appearance in the tournament was in 2022, where the competition took place. However, the campaign was cut short due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team, leading to the team’s withdrawal.

The 2026 edition of the tournament will be hosted by Australia and will start on March 1 and end on March 21. India have been drawn into Group C and will have an uphill task to improve on their best performances from the 1980 and 1983 editions where they finished second.

Who will India face in the group stage of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026?

Japan

Considered by many as favorites for the title, Japan appears to be a major obstacle for India in the group stage. The two-time champion finished in third place in the 2022 edition, resulting in his automatic qualification for this year’s edition. Japan will field a team of experienced players, playing for big clubs such as Manchester City (Yui Hasegawa, Aoba Fujino, Ayaka Yamashita), Liverpool (Risa Shimizu, Fuka Nagano), Manchester United (Hinata Miyazawa), Aston Villa (Maya Hijikata) and more.

Vietnam

Vietnam, like India, will be making its 10th appearance in the tournament and will look to improve on its best finish in the tournament when it finished sixth in both 2014 and 2022. Vietnam defeated the likes of Maldives, UAE and Guam in its qualifying group to qualify for the competition.

Chinese Taipei

Arguably India’s toughest challenge in the group stages, three-time champions Chinese Taipei will look to add a fourth title to their cabinet. Chinese Taipei qualified for the tournament by beating Pakistan, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan in the qualifying group.

Published on March 4, 2026