AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup 2026: Young Tigresses Drawn Alongside Japan, Australia And Chinese Taipei In Group C

The Indian U20 team will have to take on 3 strong teams - Australia, Chinese Taipei and 6-time winners Japan in their return to the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup after 20 years. The age group continental competition is set to take place in Thailand next year, featuring 12 nations.

It will be the Young Tigresses' first appearance in the competition since the 2006 edition in Malaysia, where they were knocked out of the first round itself.

In a group stacked with Asian giants, India had finished 4th after losing each of their 3 matches. Moreover, they conceded a total of 28 goals across their appearances - 11 against South Korea, 3 against Japan and 14 against North Korea.

Their return to the competition in 2026, which they confirmed earlier this year, will be after 2 decades of disappointment and heartbreaks.

It is, in fact, the most positive news that has come for Indian football over the past few months, which have been marred with controversies and uncertainties.

How India Qualified For AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026?

Although there is a significant amount of time left for the Asian Cup in April 2026, the Young Tigresses will be aiming to leave no stones unturned in their preparation and make a real mark upon their return after 20 years.

They went through to the group stages of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup after topping their qualifying group, in which they saw off teams like Myanmar, Indonesia and Turkmenistan.

India scored 8 goals in the qualifiers, 1 against Myanmar and 7 against Turkmenistan. Their attacking style of play under head coach Joakim Alexandersson has been a key pillar behind the Young Tigresses' surge to the top.

However, they will have to be at their absolute best in April next year as they will be up against three strong teams. The two biggest threats are 6-time champions Japan and a team that has been quite impressive in the recent past, Australia.

If the Young Tigresses are able to give a real competition to these two teams, then the passage for the next round will get easier.

With 12 nations drawn across 3 groups for 4, the top two will secure automatic qualification to the quarter-finals, and they will be joined by the other two best 3rd placed sides.

AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Final Draw

Group A: Thailand, China PR, Vietnam, Bangladesh
Group B: DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Uzbekistan, Jordan
Group C: Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, India