This year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be the 21st edition of the prestigious tournament and is taking place across Australia. The Matildas have won the tournament only once, back in 2010, but the country is a great choice of host, having had experience hosting the World Cup in 2023 and being a hub for both football and tourism. Group C in this year’s edition of the Asian Cup is set to be a very exciting group to watch.
Japan
Japan are quickly becoming one of the most talented teams in women’s international football.
Led by Danish coach Nils Nielsen, the star-studded squad features players who are household names in the Women’s Super League, including Manchester City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, influential Manchester United player Hinata Miyazawa and Brighton and Hove Albion’s prolific forward Kiko Seike. Seike currently has six goals in fifteen appearances for the Seagulls.
The two time Asian Cup winners, who have also won the 2011 World Cup and the latest edition of the SheBelieves Cup, are definitely the team to watch out for in the group. They certainly have the potential to go all the way.
There are a lot of incredibly talented players in the squad from various leagues, but Saki Kumagai from London City Lionesses is definitely one to watch. An integral part of the Olympique Lyonnais side that won the Arkema Prèmiere Ligue title, the top division of French women’s football, seven times in a row between 2013 and 2020, Kumagai is great at orchestrating the midfield and is one of the most capped players for her country.
Vietnam
Whilst other editions of this competition have seen them fail to get out of the group stage, reaching the quarter-finals in the last cup is concrete evidence that Vietnam’s team are one to watch in this year’s tournament. Current head coach Mai Duc Chung has a plethora of experience with the national side, having been in charge of the women’s national team four times prior to his latest spell that began in 2022.
The squad that has been chosen to represent their country is made up entirely of players from Vietnam’s top women’s domestic league. This can be beneficial as the players will work well together, having been teammates at club level or played against each other in the league.
Thai Thi Thao has been one of Vietnam’s most prolific goalscorers in recent times and the midfielder could have a starring role to play in Vietnam’s cup campaign this year. The Hanoi I FC player, who has been at her club since 2013, has scored 18 goals in 52 appearances for the national side and also has experience with the country’s futsal team. This could prove invaluable, as sometimes a single moment of individual brilliance is all it takes to change a game.
India
South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship serial winners India will have a point to prove in Australia. As with Vietnam, a lot of their players play for homegrown clubs. They had a good spell in the tournament’s early years in the 1980s, finishing as runners up twice and in third place once, which the current squad will want to emulate as since they finished as runners-up in 1983, they have not made it past the group stage on six of sixteen occasions. They were badly affected by COVID-19, causing them to pull out of the 2022 edition tournament during the group stages.
Despite previous bad luck, the appointment of Costa Rican head coach Amelia Valverde suggests they can turn their fortunes around – even if she is the team’s fifth manager in the space of just two years. Valverde is a proven winner. She has won the Liga MX Feminil title in 2023-2024 with CF Monterrey. She was also named the CONCACAF Female Coach of The Year in 2016.
Manisha Kalyan is an influential player both for the national team and at club level. She’s scored 14 goals in 48 appearances over six years for The Blue Tigresses, represented her country at various youth levels and has also played for clubs in Cyprus and Greece. In addition to this, she’s broken several records including being named as the AIFF Player of The Year (the best player in Indian football) over two consecutive seasons.
Whilst at Apollon in Cyprus, she was the first Indian player to appear in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, a landmark moment achieved during the qualifying rounds of the 2022-2023 season.
Chinese Taipei
Representing Taiwan, the Chinese Taipei team will be looking to add to a history of great performances at this tournament. They haven’t always had it easy in this competition, as from 2001 to 2008 they didn’t make it past the group stage and didn’t qualify for the next three tournaments.
However they were runners up in 1989 and 1999 and have won it in 1977, 1980 and 1981. They also reached the quarter finals in 2022, losing narrowly to the Philippines on penalties but the question will be whether they can build on this, especially in a group with opponents who will also be looking to go all the way.
Most of the squad play in Taiwan at the same club, therefore giving themselves a similar advantage to India and Vietnam. The club, New Taipei Hang Yuan FC have not won a league title since the domestic women’s football league was formed, but have consistently finished highly.
The team’s manager Prasobe Chokemor will bring a vast amount of experience to the helm. The Thai coach has managed teams at youth level and also has experience as a goalkeeping coach from his time with the Thailand under-23 men’s team. He also managed in the lower leagues of Thai football with Customs United FC. This invaluable experience will serve them well in the tournament, showcasing the manager’s skill and expertise. In a group with Asian Cup heavyweights like Japan and Vietnam, Chinese Taipei will need this experience in abundance to reach the knockout stages again.
Midfielder Hsu Yi-yun was a key figure in her country’s qualifying campaign, notably scoring twice in an 8-0 victory over Pakistan. She currently plays for Sunny Bank AC Taipei, who she joined at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, making an instant impact on her debut and scoring a goal from twenty-seven yards to help her team claim victory over New Taipei Hang Yuan. Additionally, she’s had experience playing in Europe too, as she featured for Moldavo, who play in Belgium.
