Kuala Lumpur: The India senior women’s team were drawn alongside Thailand, Mongolia, Timor Leste and Iraq in Group B of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers, following the draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Thailand will host Group B of the Qualifiers between June 23 to July 5 in a centralised single round-robin format. The group winners will qualify for the final tournament, scheduled to be staged across three host cities in Australia from March 1 to 26, 2026.
Teams were divided into five pots as per seedings based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking published on March 6, 2025.
Group A will see Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Singapore and Bhutan battling it out while Myanmar, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Turkmenistan will be the teams vying for the single spot to the finals in Group C. Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan will fight it out in Group D.
Vietnam, Guam, United Arab Emirates and Maldives will slug it out in Group E, while Group F will see Uzbekistan, Nepal, Laos and Sri Lanka in action.
Group G will feature the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia, while Group H will see DPR Korea, Malaysia, Palestine and Tajikistan competing for a ticket to the finals.
Eight tickets to the 21st edition of the Continental showpiece are up for grabs as 34 teams will compete to join hosts Australia and the top three sides from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 — defending champions China, runners-up Korea Republic, and third-placed Japan.
The top six teams at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
Draw Result
Group A: Islamic Republic of 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, United Arab Emirates, 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)
(IANS)
