India clubbed with Japan, Vietnam and Chinese language Taipei in Group C of Ladies’s Asian Cup subsequent yr

India have been on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) drawn with powerhouse Japan, former champions Chinese language Taipei and Vietnam in Group C of the AFC Ladies’s Asian Cup, the continent’s showpiece event, to be held in Australia subsequent yr.

The draw ceremony for the 12-team event to be run from March 1 to 21, 2026 was held on the Sydney City Corridor with Indian midfielder Sangita Basfore being one of many three draw assistants. The 12 groups have been divided into three teams of 4 groups every.

The Blue Tigresses will start their marketing campaign with a match in opposition to Vietnam on March 4, 2026, on the Perth Rectangular Stadium. India will then face Japan on March 7 on the identical venue, earlier than squaring off in opposition to Chinese language Taipei on March 10 on the Western Sydney Stadium.

The highest two groups from every group and the 2 greatest third-placed sides will advance to the quarter-finals. The 4 semi-finalists will guide their tickets to the 2027 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup in Brazil, whereas the dropping sides from the quarter-finals will advance to the playoffs, the place two extra spots on the international showpiece will likely be at stake.

Ladies’s World Cup winners in 2011, Japan are the highest-ranked Asian group within the FIFA chart at seventh. They received the Ladies’s Asian Cup titles in 2014 and 2018 however have been denied a hat-trick after dropping to eventual champions China within the semi-finals within the 2022 version held in India inside a COVID-19 bubble.

Vietnam, ranked thirty seventh, will likely be focusing on a spot on the 2027 Ladies’s World Cup after making their debut on the 2023 version. They topped the play-off spherical amongst dropping quarterfinalists within the 2022 Ladies’s Asian Cup in India to make it to the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup.

Chinese language Taipei, at present ranked forty second, have received the final of their three AFC Ladies’s Asian Cup titles in 1980 and they’re going to additionally goal to qualify for the 2027 Ladies’s World Cup.

India are at present ranked seventieth on the planet, the bottom within the group.

“I feel we have now a really fascinating, and on the identical time, a difficult group. Japan are the cream of Asia. Vietnam and Chinese language Taipei are good sides, and we will compete with them and goal for beneficial outcomes,” India head coach Crispin Chettri in an AIFF launch.

“Now that we all know our opponents, we have now to decide on our pleasant matches correctly and put together effectively. Staying collectively as a unit and dealing exhausting within the camps will go a great distance in serving to us put together to face one of the best groups in Asia and goal World Cup qualification.” Basfore stated, “We’ve already performed in opposition to Vietnam, Chinese language Taipei, and Japan previously, so I do know from expertise that we will undoubtedly compete with them.

“Our goal has at all times been to succeed in Brazil and play within the World Cup, to really feel the World Cup expertise. Now, we’re only one step away,” she stated.

In Group A, hosts Australia have been drawn alongside Korea Republic, Iran and Philippines. Group B consists of DPR Korea, China, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.

China are the defending champions and they are going to be in search of a record-extending tenth title.

The Indian girls’s group was pressured to withdraw from its group match in opposition to Chinese language Taipei on the 2022 Ladies’s Asian Cup in Navi Mumbai after numerous gamers examined constructive for COVID-19 even whereas staying contained in the bio-secure bubble.

India have been unable to call a minimal 13-woman squad for the match and it was thought-about a withdrawal, in keeping with the competitors guidelines. India had initially named a 23-member squad. That was after India performed out a 0-0 draw of their first match in opposition to Iran.