© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Premium
AFC Women’s Asian Cup: Why a win against Chinese Taipei keeps India’s slender FIFA World Cup 2027 qualification chances alive
To say that India have an uphill struggle in front of them to go through to the knockouts is an understatement, but it is not impossible by any means.
Before being flattened by Japan, India's opening match against Vietnam was a breathless game, with India even looking the better team for large parts of the second half. (AIFF Photo)
India are bottom of the Group C table in the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup going into their final group game against Chinese Taipei, having lost the two matches they have played thus far and the 11-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of Japan leaving their goal difference at -12. And yet, qualification for the quarterfinals is still not a far-fetched prospect.
Take Japan out, and Group C suddenly look like a pretty close affair, which is important since two teams earn direct qualification to the quarterfinals and a third can based on how they compare to third-placed teams from other groups. In the event that teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker parameter is the goal difference in matches played between the two teams.
Before being flattened by Japan, India’s opening match against Vietnam was a breathless game, with India even looking the better team for large parts of the second half. This is despite Vietnam being ranked 36th and India being 67th. Chinese Taipei are placed 40th on the world standings. It is important to note that all permutations that could lead to India going through the quarterfinals begin only when India manage to beat Chinese Taipei.
The Group C table as on Monday, March 9. (theafc.com screenshot)
How India can qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarterfinals:
1. Finishing second: Japan face Vietnam at the same time that India play Chinese Taipei. If Japan beat Vietnam, which is highly likely, and India beat Chinese Taipei by two goals, they will end up finishing second as their goal difference compared to their opponents and Vietnam will be the best.
If you are wondering how is it that India can finish second after beating Chinese Taipei even with a goal difference of -12 before the start of tomorrow’s match, it is because the first tie-breaker that is considered in case of teams being tied on points is not the overall goal difference, unlike what is the case in most football leagues around the world.
A victory for India and defeat for Vietnam would leave both sides and Chinese Taipei tied on three points. In such a situation, the second-placed team will be decided based on which side has the best goal difference in matches between just the three teams. Vietnam beat India 2-1 but then lost to Chinese Taipei 1-0, leaving their goal difference at 0 in matches played against these two teams. Chinese Taipei conversely have a goal difference of 1 in these games, India have -1.
Hence, if India beat Chinese Taipei 2-0, the Blue Tigresses’ goal difference in these matches would be tied with the latter at one. In that case, India finish higher because they have defeated Chinese Taipei in the match played between the two sides. If they win by more than two goals, they go through just on goal difference in matches against the two sides.
Story continues below this ad
2. Finishing third: If Japan somehow drop points against Vietnam and India beat Chinese Taipei, The Blue Tigresses will finish third. The focus then shifts to how they compare to other third-placed teams in the other groups at the end of the group stage. This means that India’s qualification will depend on results of teams in other groups. This route is all but closed though, Uzbekistan have already booked one spot among the best third-placed teams and with the Phillipines beating Iran 2-0 earlier on Monday, India will have to pretty much win by a double-digit margin against Chinese Taipei.
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Live Blog