AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Draw: India drawn in Group C

The draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 will be conducted at the Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 14:30 IST. The draw will be streamed live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel.

Scheduled to take place from March 1 to 21, 2026, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 will be staged across Sydney, Perth, and the Gold Coast, including in stadiums that witnessed the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, as the tournament returns Down Under for the first time since 2006.

Indian Women’s Football Team will be represented by coach Crispin Chettri and midfielder Sangita Basfore in the draw ceremony. Sangita, who scored a sensational brace against Thailand in the final Qualifier, will have the privilege of being one of the three draw assistants alongside Australia’s Tameka Yallop and Korea Republic’s Jeon Yu-gyeong.

Which teams have qualified for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026?

For the 21st edition of Asia’s biggest women’s national team event, twelve teams will be divided into three groups of four each. India were one of the eight teams that secured their place in the tournament via the qualifiers, joining hosts Australia and the top three finishers from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 — China PR, Korea Republic, and Japan.

Runners-up in 1980 and 1983, India will make their first appearance in the tournament since 2003 after a historic qualification campaign saw the Blue Tigresses emerge as toppers of Group B of the Qualifiers, defeating Thailand, Iraq, Timor-Leste, and Mongolia earlier this month.

Also Read: Which teams have qualified for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026?

Pots for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Draw

For the pot allocations for the Final Draw, the seeding is based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking (as of June 12). India, ranked 70th, are placed in Pot 4, and will be drawn against either Australia, Japan, or DPR Korea from Pot 1, China, Korea Republic, or Vietnam from Pot 2, and Philippines, Chinese Taipei, or Uzbekistan from Pot 3.

Eight teams booked their tickets to the 21st edition after an intense Qualifiers that took place from June 23 to July 19.

With the hosts guaranteed the top seed, the rest of the seedings—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking (as of June 12)—and the corresponding pot allocations for the Final Draw are as follows:

• Pot 1: Australia (15), Japan (7), DPR Korea (9)
• Pot 2: China PR (17), Korea Republic (21), Vietnam (37)
• Pot 3: Philippines (41), Chinese Taipei (42), Uzbekistan (51)
• Pot 4: IR Iran (68), India (70), Bangladesh (128)

When and where to watch the AFC Women’s Asian Cup draw?

The final group stage draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will take place tomorrow, July 29 2025 (Tuesday) at the Sydney Townhall in Australia.

The draw will be streamed live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel tomorrow from 14:30 hours IST onwards. Indian football fans are advised to open the YouTube channel of the AFC Asian Cup and turn on the reminder to get a notification at 14:30 onwards when the draw begins.

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