India Vs Vietnam Preview, AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Blue Tigresses Begin Campaign Against Golden Star Warriors

India women’s football team begin their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 campaign with a Group C fixture against Vietnam at the Perth Rectangular Stadium on Wednesday, March 4. India, the lowest-ranked team in the group, will face a tough task against the Golden Star Warriors.

The Blue Tigresses prepared for the tournament with a 52-day preparation camp spanning Gurugram and Antalya (Turkey), as well as a three-week acclimatisation in Australia. This is an important campaign for India – their first Women’s Asian Cup appearance on merit – as it offers them a pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2027 in Brazil.

India will look to get over the heartbreak from four years ago, when they were forced to forfeit their matches in the Women’s Asian Cup – despite being hosts – due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.

“That was four years ago,” head coach Amelia Valverde said in the post-match press conference. “We are back here again with a chance to prove ourselves. This is a new opportunity.”

With the four semi-finalists gaining direct entry to the 2027 World Cup, the stakes have never been higher for India. The two losing quarter-finalists will compete for the remaining direct Asian spots, while the other two enter the Intercontinental play-offs for another chance at qualification.

As a result, a positive outcome against Vietnam in the opener will give the Blue Tigresses a good opportunity to progress to the next stage, with Chinese Taipei and Japan to come next. However, Vietnam won’t be a pushover by any means.

The Golden Star Warriors made their FIFA World Cup debut in 2023, although they failed to progress past the group stage. Led by their long-serving head coach Mai Duc Chung, the world No. 36 side will provide a stern test to the Indian backline.

“We have had good preparation, but we will be facing strong teams. We have to try and match them. What we have prepared, we will show tomorrow on the pitch,” Mai said. “It’s difficult to say much in advance, but we know we have to try very hard.”

India vs Vietnam: Head-To-Head Record

India and Vietnam have faced each other just once before in an Olympic qualification match in October 2023. The match ended 3-1 in favour of Vietnam.

India vs Vietnam, AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Live Streaming Details