India drawn with Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei in Group C

The Indian football team was handed a challenging draw alongside Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei in Group C for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia on Thursday.

Midfielder Sangita Basfore, who scored a brace against Thailand in India’s final AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifier, was one of the three draw assistants alongside Australia's Tameka Yallop and the Republic of Korea's Jeon Yu-gyeong.

India are the lowest-ranked team in Group C at world No. 70. Asia’s top-ranked side Japan are seventh while Vietnam and Chinese Taipei are 37th and 42nd, respectively.

The AFC Women's Asian Cup is a quadrennial competition and the oldest women's international football tournament on the continent.

Divided into three groups of four teams each, 12 teams will compete in the group stage.

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 groups

Group A: Australia, Republic of Korea, Islamic Republic of Iran, Philippines

Group B: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan

Group C: Japan, Vietnam, India, Chinese Taipei

The top two sides from each group, alongside the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals.

Prior to the draw at the Sydney Town Hall in Australia, India was placed in pot 4 alongside Iran and Bangladesh. Pot allocations for the draw were based on the FIFA rankings released on June 12.

India qualified for the 21st edition AFC Women’s Asian Cup as one of the eight teams that secured their place in the tournament via the qualifiers.

The Blue Tigresses topped Group B in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers after wins over Thailand, Iraq, Timor-Leste and Mongolia.

Hosts Australia and the top three finishers from the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022 - China, South Korea and Japan received automatic qualification.

India are set to make their first appearance at the tournament since 2003. The Blue Tigresses did participate in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 as hosts, but withdrew following a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.

Their best finishes at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup came as runners-up in 1980 and 1983. They also finished third in 1981.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 will be held from March 1 to 21 in Australia. Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast are the three venues for the tournament.

China are the defending champion as well as the most successful team in the history of the tournament with a record nine titles.

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