Chiang Mai, July 3 -- The race to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup 2026 in Group B could not have been tighter. After three matches each, India and Thailand are level on points, goal difference, and goals scored. It will be winner-take-all when the Blue Tigresses and Chabakaew meet on July 5.

What if it ends in a draw? The match heads straight to penalties after 90 minutes. It's not common to have a shootout in a group stage, but that's how close India and Thailand have been so far; kicks from 12 yards would remain the only way to decide the ticket to Australia if they cannot outscore each other on Saturday.

India won 5-0 against Iraq on Wednesday, which meant Thailand had to score 12 against Mongolia to leapfrog...