The Indian Women's football team has been drawn into Group C of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup alongside Japan, Vietnam, and Chinese Taipei. The draw, which took place at the Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday, marks the first time the Blue Tigresses have qualified for the Asian Cup on their own merit, having previously gained entry as hosts.
The 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup is scheduled to be held in Australia from March 1 to 21, 2026, across three host cities: Sydney, Perth, and Gold Coast. The stadiums selected to host the matches also served as venues for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
India secured their spot in the 21st edition of the tournament through qualifiers held from June 23 to July 19. They clinched qualification with a historic victory over Thailand, a team ranked higher than them. In the final Qualifier, Sangita Basfore scored twice against Thailand.
In addition to India, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, North Korea, Iran, Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam also qualified for the tournament. They join hosts Australia and the top three finishers from the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup: China (champions), Korea Republic (runners-up), and Japan (third place), who all earned automatic qualification.
The draw for the tournament saw the twelve participating teams divided into three groups of four. The seedings for the draw were based on the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings as of June 12. India, ranked 70th, was placed in Pot 4.
The teams in each pot were as follows: * Pot 1: Australia, Japan, DPR Korea * Pot 2: China PR, Korea Republic, Vietnam * Pot 3: Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan * Pot 4: Iran, India, Bangladesh
The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. The losing quarter-finalists will compete in play-offs for the two remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup.
India returns to the AFC Women's Asian Cup after 23 years. India will be represented by coach Crispin Chettri and midfielder Sangita Basfore. Midfielder Sangita Basfore will be one of the three draw assistants alongside Australia's Tameka Yallop and Korea Republic's Jeon Yu-gyeong. India were runners-up in 1980 and 1983.
