Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam will have no margin for error when they clash in a round-robin playoff to determine the fifth team to earn an automatic slot to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. (More Football News)
The three losing AFC Women's Asian Cup quarter-finalists square off with the first fixture pitting Thailand against Vietnam in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
The Thais then play Chinese Taipei two days later. The playoff round will conclude with Chinese Taipei facing Vietnam on Sunday.
Despite their heartbreaking penalties defeat to the Philippines in the quarter-finals, Chinese Taipei head coach Echigo Kazuo is hopeful of his team’s World Cup chances in the playoffs.
"We can't change what happened. After the match against the Philippines, I told the players to switch their focus to the next two games. The players are highly motivated and really want to play in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup," said Kazuo.
Captain Wang Hsiang-Huei is confident Chinese Taipei can bounce back from their quarter-final heartbreak.
"We've not recovered from that defeat against the Philippines. It was not easy to lose under those circumstances. The result was not what we wanted and now we are determined to win our remaining matches," Wang said.
Thailand assistant coach Natsuko Todoroki said the players are motivated and prepared for the playoffs.
"Although we lost our last game, we still have a fighting chance to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The players are motivated," said Todoroki.
"We have played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice before and the players know what is at stake. We have some areas to work on in our training sessions and I believe we can get the results."
Vietnam head coach Mai Duc Chung, meanwhile, is equally confident his players will qualify for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"The players have worked hard to be here and I believe we will continue playing our best to achieve our goal of reaching the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year,” said Mai.
"Qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be a huge achievement for us and Vietnamese football. We’ve had good preparation and the team is ready to do their best.
Captain Huynh Nhu believes Vietnam will join the world’s best in Australia and New Zealand next year.
"Everyone is focused on the next two games. We have been training and preparing ourselves to play under the humidity. We are prepared to give our best," said Nhu.
The winning team of the playoffs will join the four qualified teams -- China, Japan, Korea and Philippines in the World Cup Finals, with Australia also through as the co-hosts.
The remaining two teams can still qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup through the Inter-Confederation playoffs.
