India are bottom of the Group C table in the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup going into their final group game against Chinese Taipei, having lost the two matches they have played thus far and the 11-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of Japan leaving their goal difference at -12. And yet, qualification for the quarterfinals is still not a far-fetched prospect. Take Japan out, and Group C suddenly look like a pretty close affair, which is important since two teams earn direct qualification to the quarterfinals and a third can based on how they compare to third-placed teams from other groups. In the event that teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker parameter is the goal difference in matches played between the two teams. Before being flattened by Japan, India’s opening match against Vietnam was a breathless game, with India even looking the better team for large parts of the second half. This is despite Vietnam being ranked 36th and India being 67th. Chinese Taipei are placed 40th on the world standings. It is important to note that all permutations that could lead to India going through the quarterfinals begin only when India manage to beat Chinese Taipei. How India can qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarterfinals: 1. Finishing second: Japan face Vietnam at the same time that India play Chinese Taipei. If Japan beat Vietnam, which is highly likely, and India beat Chinese Taipei by two goals, they will end up finishing second as their goal difference compared to their opponents and Vietnam will be the best. 2. Finishing third: If Japan somehow drop points against Vietnam and India beat Chinese Taipei, The Blue Tigresses will finish third. The focus then shifts to how they compare to other third-placed teams in the other groups at the end of the group stage. This means that India’s qualification will depend on results of. This route is all but closed though, with the Phillipines beating Iran 2-0 earlier on Monday.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup: How India can still reach quarterfinals and keep 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive
