The Indian women’s football team has officially been eliminated from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. In the third and final game of the group stage, the Blue Tigresses took on Chinese Taipei and suffered a 3-1 loss.
Going into the game after two consecutive defeats, first a 2-1 loss against Vietnam and later, an 11-0 thumping against Japan, this was a must-win game for the Indian side. However, another underwhelming display was put on against a side that’s ranked 40th in the world.
The game was widely dominated by the Taipei side that maintained 61% of the possession and took 16 shots, six of which were on target. On the flipside, the Indian side had 12 shots, with just three on target.
The first goal came just 12 minutes into the game as Su Yu-hsuan opened the scoring for Chinese Taipei. Manisha Kalyan then followed it up with an equalizer in the 39th minute for the Blue Tigresses.
Our #WAC2026 journey ends. #WAC2026 #BlueTigresses #AsiaDream #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/p0uv2OQovb
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) March 10, 2026
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However, that turned out to be the last clear sight on goal for the Indian side. In the ninth minute of the stoppage time in the first half, Panthoi Chanu Elangbam scored an own goal to give Chinese Taipei the lead. In the second half, the Taipei side kept on creating chances and piling up pressure before Yu-Chin Chen found the back of the net in the 77th minute.
What does the exit from AFC Women’s Asian Cup mean for the Indian side?
If this year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup showed one thing, it was the fact that the Indian women’s football team still has a long way to go. Moreover, it just highlights the problems in football as a sport in India, which seems to lack the infrastructure to create players who can shine on the global stage.
Having exited the tournament with three losses, 16 goals conceded, and two scored, India certainly needs to address the issues at its core. As far as the group is concerned, Group C of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has been topped by Japan with nine points, Chinese Taipei finishes second with six points, Vietnam finishes third with three points, and the Blue Tigresses finish at the bottom of the table.
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