Football
AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026: India drawn in Group C along with Japan
India will open their campaign on 4 March, 2026.
The Indian women's football team has secured AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification. (Photo credit: AIFF)
The Indian women's football team were drawn in Group C for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup along with heavyweights Japan.
The draw was held at the Sydney Townhall Australia on Tuesday.
The other teams in India's group include Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.
Placed in C3 position, the Indian women's team will open their campaign against Vietnam on 4 March next year at the Perth Rectangular Stadium. They will then face Japan on March 7 at the same venue, before going up against Chinese Taipei on March 10 at the Western Sydney Stadium.
India are the lowest ranked team in Group C with Japan ranked world No 7 currently. Vietnam and Chinese Taipei are placed 37th and 42nd respectively.
Midfielder Sangita Basfore, who scored the brace which helped India to qualify for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, was one of the three draw assistants in Sydney.
"It's been a proud moment for all of us. Qualifying on merit feels amazing," Basfore said. "It was a lot of hard work from all the team members.
"We know we'll be up against a lot of strong teams but we are focused, motivated and really want to show how much we've grown as a team," she added.
AFC Women's Asian Cup Draw
Group A: Australia, Korea Republic, IR Iran, Philippines
Group B: DPR Korea, China PR, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan
Group C: Japan, Vietnam, India, Chinese Taipei
India's schedule for AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026
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)
