India drawn alongside Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei in Group C of AFC Women’s Asia Cup

Sydney: India have been drawn alongside Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei in Group C of the AFC Asian Women’s Cup 2026 scheduled to be played in Australia.

For the pot allocations for the Final Draw, the seeding was based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking (as of June 12). India, ranked 70th, were placed in pot 4 and drew Japan (7) from Pot 1, Vietnam (37) from Pot 2, and Chinese Taipei (42) from Pot 3.

After previous heartbreaks, Japan’s persistence was finally rewarded in 2014 as Japan got their hands on the trophy with a 1-0 win over Australia in the final, with Azusa Iwashimasu scoring the winner.

Japan defended their title in Jordan in 2018 but only after overcoming stiff competition. A tough group stage saw them advancing on a better head-to-head record after they were tied on five points with Australia and Korea Republic.

Japan’s hopes of a third consecutive title were dashed in the 2022 edition, with eventual champions China showing them the exit following a penalty shootout win in the semi-finals.

While Vietnam have appeared in the Finals of every edition since making their debut in 1999, success has eluded them. They have progressed from the group stage only twice - in 2014 and the last edition hosted by India. Chinese Taipei were in a class of their own between 1977 and 1981 - which yielded three consecutive titles - but have gone through a leaner period since.

Scheduled to take place from March 1 to 21, 2026, the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 will be staged across Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast, including in stadiums that witnessed the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, as the tournament returns Down Under for the first time since 2006.  (IANS)

Also Read: Manjrekar Backs Kuldeep’s Return for Final Test in Bumrah’s Absence

Also Watch: