India will take on Chinese Taipei in its final Group C fixture of the AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 on Wednesday.

After defeats in their opening two matches against Japan and Australia, both India and Chinese Taipei find themselves in identical situations, chasing a result that could yet keep their tournament alive.

How can India qualify for the quarterfinals in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026?

India’s goal difference of -11 makes things a bit more complicated than Chinese Taipei’s -7. The Young Tigresses’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time since 2004 rest on securing a place among the two best third-placed teams across all groups.

Their task will be simplified if either the Group A match between Vietnam and Bangladesh on Tuesday or the Group B match between Uzbekistan and Jordan on Wednesday ends in a draw. In that case, the winner of India vs Chinese Taipei will qualify for the quarterfinals, regardless of goal difference.

But if there is a winner in both those games, India would need to win by a handsome margin to avoid being the worst-ranked third-placed side in the three groups. At the moment, the goal differences of the other teams are – Bangladesh (-3), Vietnam (-6), Uzbekistan (-8) and Jordan (-9).

Published on Apr 07, 2026