India gear up for crucial do-or-die clash against Chinese Taipei in AFC Women's Asian Cup

Blue Tigresses still have a chance to go to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarter-finals.

The Indian women’s football team looks to produce their best performance of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup group stages in their final Group C game against Chinese Taipei at the Western Sydney Stadium on Tuesday (10 March 2026).

It’s a last-chance saloon for the Blue Tigresses, who absolutely need to win this match to have any chance of making it to the knockout stages of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

The Stakes

India

Amelia Valverde’s side suffered a major reality check in their recent clash against Japan, who thrashed them by an 11-0 margin to cause a huge setback for the Blue Tigresses. India might not have won a single match in the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup so far, but they actually still have a chance of making it to the knockout stages as one of the best ‘third-place teams’. To do so, they need to defeat Chinese Taipei by a two-goal margin, with a better head-to-head record against them.

They can even finish second if Japan defeats Vietnam and India gets a two-goal win over Chinese Taipei! Amelia Valverde has to motivate her players to take the fight to Chinese Taipei and play without any fear. They need to prioritize attacking football to get a win, knowing a draw or loss would result in elimination.

A big win for India can be a huge confidence booster to be able to play in the knockout rounds, but anything but that would make for a bitter end to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup competition.

Chinese Taipei

The Chinese Taipei women’s football team have showcased a lot of grit in their performances in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup so far, getting a win and only conceding two goals. They have a really strong defensive shape and can be a real hard nut to crack, which they aim to maintain against the Blue Tigresses.

The Chinese Taipei team will look to frustrate their opponents by maintaining a sturdy defensive shape and look to torment them on the counterattacks. Even a draw for the Chinese Taipei would help them move into the knockout rounds, but they’ll push for a win as it’ll add to their momentum and secure a second-place finish in the group. However, a crushing loss to India would result in an embarrassing elimination, which they don’t want to happen.

Team News

Amelia Valverde should have the same India squad that was at her disposal for the match against Japan.

The Chinese Taipei squad is also not suffering from any injury troubles right now.

Head-to-Head in AFC Women’s Asian CUp

Matches played – 2

India wins – 0

Chinese Taipei wins – 2

Draws – 0

Predicted Lineups

India (4-4-1-1):

Panthoi Chanu (GK), Sanju Yadav, Sweety Devi, Juli Kishan, Marina Thokchom, Sangita Basfore, Babina Lisham, Soumya Guguloth, Manisha Kalyan, Dangmei Grace, Pyari Xaxa

Chinese Taipei (5-4-1):

Wang Yu-Ting (GK), Chang Chi-Ian, Su Sin-Yun, Huang Ke-Sin, Chen Ying-Hui, Hsu Yi-yun, Wu Kai-ching, Matsunaga Saki, Jia Wen Chen, Jia-Shuian He, Su Yu-Hsuan

Players to Watch

Pyari Xaxa (India)

India will have to go with an all-guns blazing attitude in the Chinese Taipei match and they need their attacking players to bring their A-game to the clash. Pyari Xaxa has had a pretty underwhelming Women’s Asian Cup campaign so far, but her goal-scoring capabilities cannot exactly be questioned. The 28-year-old forward has scored 18 goals for the Blue Tigresses and is one of the more experienced forwards in the team.

She needs to use that experience to be more unpredictable on the pitch against Chinese Taipei, troubling their defenders with her clever movement and positioning in danger zones. Xaxa will need to be at her clinical best in finishing off chances in a ruthless fashion to be able to guide the Indian side to a memorable win.

Su Yu-Hsuan (Chinese Taipei)

Su Yu-Hsuan proved to be the difference maker for the Chinese Taipei women’s team in their recent win over Vietnam, which helped them take a step closer to the knockout stages. However, the 25-year-old forward now needs to produce a similarly efficient performance against the Blue Tigresses to be able to get her side over the line.

Yu-Hsuan will be aiming to be unpredictable with her off-the-ball runs and being able to sniff out chances in the final third. She needs to be proactive on the counter-attacks and finish off whatever comes her way ruthlessly to give her side a major advantage and guide thtm to the next round.

Did you know?

• This is going to be the first meeting between India and Chinese Taipei in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup since 2001.
• Chinese Taipei hasn’t won back-to-back matches in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup since 2003.
• India’s 11-0 loss to Japan was their fourth-largest defeat in a competitive women’s international match.

Broadcast Details

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 group game between India and Chinese Taipei will take place on Tuesday, 10 March at the Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney. The match kicks off at 2:30 PM IST. It will be live streamed on the Fancode app.

Where to watch the ISL 2025-26 match live globally outside India?

DAZN will broadcast the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 matches live in Japan, whereas the host country, Australia, has given its hosting rights to Paramount.

In the Middle East countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan, viewers can tune in to beIN Sports for the live action of this game.

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