The Indian women's football team, the Blue Tigresses, have been drawn into Group C of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026, setting the stage for a challenging campaign. The draw, which took place at the Sydney Town Hall on July 29, 2025, placed India alongside formidable opponents: Japan, Vietnam, and Chinese Taipei.
India's journey in the tournament will begin on March 4, 2026, against Vietnam at the Perth Rectangular Stadium. They will then face Japan on March 7 at the same venue, followed by a match against Chinese Taipei on March 10 at the Western Sydney Stadium.
The seeding for the draw was based on the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings as of June 12, 2025. India, currently ranked 70th in the world, was placed in Pot 4. Their group opponents, Japan, Vietnam, and Chinese Taipei, are ranked 7th, 37th, and 42nd, respectively. This indicates the level of competition India will face in their group matches.
Adding to the significance of the occasion, Indian midfielder Sangita Basfore, who played a crucial role in India's qualification by scoring twice in the final qualifier against Thailand, served as one of the draw assistants. She shared the stage with Australia's Tameka Yallop and Korea Republic's Jeon Yu-gyeong. Basfore expressed her pride in India's qualification on merit and acknowledged the hard work of her teammates. She conveyed the team's focus and motivation to demonstrate their growth on the field.
In the other groups, Group A consists of hosts Australia, Korea Republic, IR Iran, and the Philippines. Group B includes DPR Korea, China PR, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan.
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 secure qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027. The losing quarter-finalists will have a second chance through play-offs for the remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup. The two play-off losers will then have an opportunity to qualify via the inter-confederation play-offs.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place from March 13 to 15, with the semi-finals on March 17 and 18 in Sydney and Perth. The final will be held on March 21 at Sydney's Stadium Australia, which also hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Final. The World Cup qualifying play-offs for the losing quarter-finalists will be held in the Gold Coast on March 19.
This marks the first time the Blue Tigresses have secured their spot in the Asian Cup based on merit, as their qualification for the previous edition came automatically as the host nation. India secured their place in the 2026 edition with a historic victory over Thailand in the qualifiers. India had previously participated in the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022 as hosts, but had to withdraw due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.
India's schedule for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 is as follows: * March 4, 2026: Vietnam vs India, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth * March 7, 2026: India vs Japan, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth * March 10, 2026: India vs Chinese Taipei, Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney
The AFC Women's Asian Cup is a quadrennial competition and the oldest women's international football tournament in Asia. Australia was chosen as the host nation by the AFC Women's Football Committee on May 15, 2024. The tournament will also serve as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
