Women's Asian Cup draw: India clubbed alongside China, Chinese Taipei, Iran

Hosts India were on Thursday handed a tough draw at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup as they were clubbed alongside eight-time champions China, two-time winners Chinese Taipei and Iran.

India, ranked 57th in the FIFA charts, are the third-highest ranked side in the group behind China (17th) and Chinese Taipei (40th) and ahead of Iran (72nd).

The draw was held at the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) headquarters in the Malaysian capital.

India is scheduled to host the tournament from January 20 to February 6 at venues in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.

"It is an exciting group. We respect all our opponents as all of them are strong teams who have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup India 2022. But we are ready to play any team," India's head coach Thomas Dennerby said after the draw.

"I don't consider any particular match as a key one. All three matches are key matches for us in the group stage. We need to do our job over 90 minutes every time we enter the field," the coach maintained.

The excitement around Asia's marquee women's national team competition is starting to build following the completion of the qualifiers where Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Korea Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam secured their spots to the Finals.

They will join the top three teams from the 2018 showpiece Japan, Australia and China alongside host India when the tournament takes place from January 20 to February 6.

"The AFC Women's Asian Cup is the premier flagship tournament for women's football in our continent, and I'm proud and happy that India is going to be the host for the 2022 edition," said All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel.

"I thank the AFC, AIFF and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for jointly working together to bring a fantastic tournament not only for the fans in India but also for all of the Asian continent."

"The AFC had recently come and inspected all the facilities in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune. We are looking forward to welcoming all the 12 teams to our beautiful country, and I am confident they will be satisfied with the facilities, and hospitality."

The Indian team is currently camping in Jamshedpur with logistical and infrastructural aid from the government of Jharkhand since September.

The team had also gone on an exposure tour to UAE, Bahrain and Sweden, where they played against international teams like UAE, Tunisia, Bahrain and Chinese Taipei.

The side has also played two friendlies against Swedish Dammalsvenskan (Tier 1) clubs Hammarby IF and Djurgarden IF.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Dato Windsor John said: "The AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 promises to be another great celebration throughout the continent.

"Together with the All India Football Federation and the Local Organising Committee, we are confident of staging a remarkable tournament that will leave a legacy for many years to come. I must congratulate the teams who have qualified and will line up along with the top three teams from the last edition and our hosts India."

Dennerby's team will feel confident especially on home turf and having recently beaten Chinese Taipei in an international friendly.

India have played six friendlies in October and have been impressed by winning three and losing three matches.

India will face Iran in the opening match of the tournament on January 20.

The teams were separated into four pots based on their ranking from the previous edition.

At the end of the draw, 12 teams were divided into three groups of four teams with host India placed in Pot 1 alongside reigning champions Japan and Australia, while Pot 2 featured China PR, Thailand and the Korea Republic.

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