After a tough spell for the Taiwan womens side, which includes a five-game run of defeats, things may be about to change for the Mulan. On Thursday afternoon, the draw for the final round of the 2026 AFC Cup was announced and the end result was Taiwan finding themselves in a very winnable group.

The format for the final qualifying round consists of eight groups of four or five teams. The eight winners of each group will advance to the AFC Finals, which will be hosted by Australia. Alongside the hosts, China, Japan and South Korea have all automatically qualified for the tourney, whilst Taiwan will be hoping to join them.

As it stands, Taiwan finds itself drawn into a four-team group alongside Indonesia (currently ranked 94th by FIFA), Kyrgyzstan (135th) and Pakistan (157th). Indonesia will host the group games, which will begin on June 29th and be completed on July 5th.

Taiwan (currently ranked 42nd), will be considered the favorite to get out of their group and advance to the Finals. It will be certainly be easier said than done but after twelve months of blow-outs, the womens side can now look forward to some winnable games and the chance to qualify for a major regional tournament.

Photo Credit: CTFA