AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup 2026: Where are India in the standings after Matchday 1?

The Indian Women’s U-20 football team lost 6-0 to Japan in their first game

The AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 is underway in Thailand. Twelve of the top teams from the continent have descended for the top prize. Aside from the Asian Cup U-20 title, spots for the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2026 are also up for grabs for the four semi-finalists.

India Women’s U-20 team have been drawn alongside the U-20 women’s teams from Australia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei in Group C. Now that each team has played one game each, here is how the group is shaping up.

AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Where does India stand in Group C?

The first game in Group C saw the Australian U-20 women’s football team take on Chinese Taipei’s young, talented girls. Going in as favourites, the young Matildas asserted their dominance as they won 5-0 to start their campaign with a bang.

Japan and India’s U-20 Women’s teams locked horns in the second game of Group C. The Japanese Women were dominant throughout the game and came out with a 6-0 win that saw five different players register goals for them.

Here are the Group C standings after Matchday 1:

While they are on the back foot, things will not get easy for India and Chinese Taipei in the next game as well. The young Tigresses will play Australia next while Japan will play against Chinese Taipei’s U-20 Women’s team in their respective next games.

What should India’s U-20 Women’s team do to qualify for the knockout rounds

The top two teams in Group C will guarantee their places in the quarterfinals. Japan and Australia’s U-20 Women’s teams have had a good start to the tournament and are looking sharp. Hence, it is likely that they will finish in the top two spots.

The game against Australia will be tough for the young Indian women. If they get a win or a draw, it would be an ideal result for India. However, even if they lose with a lesser goal difference against the Matildas, the Tigresses will still have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage.

Eight of the twelve participating teams will go to the knockout stage. This means that two of the best third-placed teams from Groups A, B, and C will punch their tickets to the knockout stage. India and Chinese Taipei’s U-20 Women’s teams will play each other in the last game, and if India wins that game, they will have a strong chance to go through to the next stage.

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