Daijiworld Media Network - Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 27: The Indian senior women's football team has been placed in Group B of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers, alongside Thailand, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, and Iraq. The draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Thailand will serve as the host for Group B, with matches set to take place between June 23 and July 5 in a centralized, single round-robin format. Only the group winners will secure a spot in the final tournament, which is scheduled to be held across three host cities in Australia from March 1 to 26, 2026.
The teams were divided into five pots based on their FIFA Women’s World Ranking as of March 6, 2025.
Group Stage Breakdown:
• Group A: Iran, Jordan (H), Lebanon, Singapore, Bhutan
• Group B: Thailand (H), India, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Iraq
• Group C: Myanmar (H), Bahrain, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan
• Group D: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia (H), Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan
• Group E: Vietnam (H), Guam, UAE, Maldives
• Group F: Uzbekistan (H), Nepal, Laos, Sri Lanka
• Group G: Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Cambodia (H), Saudi Arabia
• Group H: DPR Korea, Malaysia, Palestine, Tajikistan (H)
In total, 34 teams will compete in the qualifiers, fighting for the remaining eight spots in the 21st edition of the prestigious tournament. They will join hosts Australia and the top three finishers from the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022—defending champions China, runners-up Korea Republic, and third-placed Japan.
Additionally, the top six teams from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 will automatically qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
With high stakes and fierce competition, the road to Australia 2026 promises to be an exciting one for women's football in Asia.