India returns to AFC Women’s Asian Cup after 23 years; draw set for July 29

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 draw will be held on July 29 in Sydney. India, returning after 23 years, is in Pot 4. Midfielder Sangita Basfore will assist in the draw ceremony, as the Blue Tigresses prepare for Asia’s top women’s football event.

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

India will be represented by coach Crispin Chettri and midfielder Sangita Basfore in the draw ceremony.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The top two sides from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. The four
quarter-final winners will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027. The losing quarter-finalists will contest the play-offs for the two remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup. The two play-off losers will have another chance of qualifying for Brazil via the inter-confederation play-offs.