Ranking of third-place teams in the 2026 Asian Championship: Vietnam Women's Team leads

Following a 0-1 defeat against Chinese Taipei in the second group stage match of the 2026 Asian Women's Football Championship, Vietnam has fallen to third position in Group C.

After two matches, the Vietnam Women's Team defeated India 2-1 and lost to Chinese Taipei 0-1, earning 3 points with a goal difference of 0. With these results, the Vietnam Women's Team currently ranks third in Group C, behind Japan (3 points, goal difference +2) and Chinese Taipei (3 points, goal difference -1).

Since the 2026 Asian Women's Football Championship considers head-to-head results when teams are tied on points, the Vietnam Women's Team ranks behind Chinese Taipei due to losing the direct encounter. Despite being third, the Vietnam Women's Team still has a chance to advance, as besides the two top teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals, the two best-performing third-place teams will also secure spots in the top eight.

On the current ranking of third-place teams, the Vietnam Women's Team leads with 3 points, while Philippines (goal difference -4) and Uzbekistan (-6) have yet to earn any points after two consecutive losses.

Therefore, the situation in the third-place team rankings will only become clear after the final round, where the Vietnam Women's Team faces Japan (Group C), while Philippines meets Iran (Group A), and Uzbekistan clashes with Bangladesh (Group B).

In the most likely scenario, the Vietnam Women's Team will lose to Japan, while Philippines and Uzbekistan both win, then the three third-place teams in the group stage will each have 3 points. At that point, the team with the best goal difference will rank higher.

This means the Vietnam Women's Team must minimize the goal deficit against Japan and hope that the other two competitors in the third-place team ranking race win with as narrow a margin as possible.