AFC Women’s Asian Cup: Tough Group Draw for Bangladesh and India
Kathmandu, 30 Jul: South Asian nations Bangladesh and India have found themselves in challenging groups for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia next year.
According to the draw conducted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Sydney on Tuesday, both Bangladesh and India were placed in difficult groups. It was earlier expected that Nepal would also qualify for the tournament from the region, but a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Uzbekistan in a decisive match knocked them out. Meanwhile, Bangladesh and India secured their spots in the Asian Cup by topping their respective qualifying groups.
However, both teams face an uphill battle. Debutant Bangladesh and India, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2003, have been placed in challenging groups.
Bangladesh finds itself in Group B, alongside three-time champion North Korea, defending champion China, and Uzbekistan. North Korea is returning to the Asian Cup for the first time since 2010, having missed recent editions due to FIFA bans, non-participation in qualifiers, and voluntary withdrawals. Now back, North Korea is aiming to make a strong comeback, having recently proven its prowess by winning both the U-17 and U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cups. With such form, their senior team is expected to be a major contender in the Asian Cup.
That said, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan are not weak teams. Both have made notable progress in women’s football recently. Uzbekistan, qualifying for its first-ever Asian Cup, outperformed Nepal, Laos, and Sri Lanka during qualification. Bangladesh stunned stronger teams like Myanmar, Bahrain, and Turkmenistan to earn its spot.
India, on the other hand, is placed in Group C, which includes powerhouse Japan, along with Vietnam and Chinese Taipei. Japan is the highest-ranked team among the 12 nations participating in the tournament, followed by North Korea, which is in Bangladesh’s group.
India is also making its way into the Asian Cup through qualification for the first time. In the last edition (2022), India had participated as hosts, but had to withdraw midway due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. With Japan aiming for a third title, finishing in the top two of the group to reach the knockout stage will be extremely difficult for India. However, the two best third-placed teams across the three groups will also advance to the quarterfinals, offering another possible route forward.
Host nation Australia is placed in Group A, along with South Korea, Iran, and the Philippines — a group widely regarded as the toughest in the tournament. Australia is targeting a second Asian Cup title, having won the championship in 2010.
Australia was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last edition (2022) and will be aiming for a better result on home soil this time. In the 2022 final, South Korea narrowly lost to China 3–2. This year, South Korea hopes to go all the way. Iran, making its second appearance in the tournament after stunning Jordan in the qualifiers, will also aim to make a memorable run in Australia.
The other team in Group A, the Philippines, had reached the semifinals in the previous edition of the tournament. A rising force in world women’s football, the team now aims to reach the final this time. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be held from March 1 to 21, 2026, across three cities in Australia.
The top two teams from each group will directly qualify for the quarterfinals, while the two best third-placed teams across all groups will also advance to the knockout stage.
The four semifinalists of the Asian Cup will earn direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Teams eliminated in the quarterfinals will still have a chance to qualify through the global playoff tournament.
