India vs Japan: Three Key Battles to watch out for in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 clash

India aims to bounce back against Japan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup

The Indian women’s national team looks to get their first points of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup group stages against a formidable Japan side in their second game on Saturday (7 March, 2026). After having come agonizingly closer in their gutting loss to Vietnam, the Blue Tigresses must learn from their mistakes and produce an even more efficient performance to have any chance of getting anything from the strong Japanese side.

With Japan being the overwhelming favourite to not only win Group C, but potentially the entire AFC Women’s Asian Cup, they won’t slack off for the clash against India. This shoul be an intense clash between two sets of hard-working players, but only those who show more grit and decisiveness on the pitch will be able to earn the three points for their side.

The India vs Japan clash should be an exciting battle between two different philosophies and skills. Even though the Blue Tigresses don’t have as many players playing for major European or American teams as the Japanese squad does, Amelia Valverde’s side has shown a lot of heart in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup so far.

The India vs Japan battle could end up being decided by some interesting duels on the pitch. With both teams having extremely influential, decisive players – it’s the battle involving these individuals that will decide which team reigns supreme. Here, we look at the three key battles to watch out for in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup between India and Japan.

3. Mina Tanaka vs Sweety Devi

Mina Tanaka might not have scored amongst the goals for Japan in their 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei in their 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup opener, but she remains a major force to be reckoned with for the Japanese side. Tanaka has scored 46 goals for Japan in her international career and is a real threat in the final third.

She will look to trouble the Indian defenders with her clever off-the-ball runs and get into open positions in the final third to finish off chances clinically. Tanaka’s unpredictable presence means that Sweety Devi will need to be at her absolute best to be able to contain her threat.

Sweety had a rugged outing against Vietnam, where she produced some solid defensive work but was also outwitted by the opposition forward for the two goals. Sweety will need to be more proactive in cutting out chances with her clever game-reading skills to make crucial clearances and neutralize Tanaka’s clash. However, the proactiveness of the Japan forward means this should be a real back-and-forth battle that should entertain fans.

2. Sangita Basfore vs Momoko Tanikawa

Sangita Basfore is poised to face arguably her biggest challenge of the 2026 AFC Women’s Cup, when she meets up with Bayern Munich W midfielder Momoko Tanikawa in the upcoming clash. Tanikawa has already achieved many big things at the age of 20 for the Japanese side, having four goals in 15 international appearances and she’s been playing for Bayern’s Women’s team since 2024. The 20-year-old is technically highly gifted, being able to create chances as well as getting at the end of them with relative ease.

Moreover, she’s also extremely energetic in the midfield in terms of being able to win back the ball in crucial positions to trigger fast breaks. That is why Basfore needs to be almost flawless to be able to keep up with the 20-year-old Japanese midfielder and stop her from controlling the midfield battle.

The East Bengal midfielder needs to work her socks off in putting in the paces and pressing the opposition player hard, isolating her from the danger zones and closing her down for good. Sangita will also look to win the ball in key areas to trigger counter-attacks, and her energetic battle against Tanikawa should be an eye-catching one.

1. Manisha Kalyan vs Miyabi Moriya

Manisha Kalyan had a relatively underwhelming start to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup competition, as she was not really that big of a threat against Vietnam. The unpredictable winger will be looking to bounce back strongly by producing an inspiring display against Japan, but she will be facing a much more daunting task in this upcoming clash too. Manisha is likely to face off against Japanese defender Miyami Moriya, who currently plays for Angel City FC in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA.

Moriya has gained a decent amount of experience at the age of 29, as she’s capable of coping against tricky and pacey winger by making admirable recovery runs and crucial challenges to stop them in their tracks. That is probably why Manisha needs to be at her creative best when it comes to knowing when to take on the defender and how to glide her way into the danger zones in the final third.

The Indian winger also needs to be more accurate with her final third passes and try to get into more goal-scoring positions, but she has to be way more unpredictable to get the better of Moriya and enhance India’s chances of scoring against Japan.

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