AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers: Sri Lanka to face Chinese Taipei in last match

The Sri Lanka national football team upon arrival at the Taipei airport 

By Susil Premalal

The Sri Lanka national football team will take on Chinese Taipei in their last match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 (Saudi Arabia) Qualifiers – Third Round Group ‘D’ tomorrow (31) at the Municipal Stadium in Taipei, with kick-off scheduled for 4.00 p.m. Sri Lanka time.
The Sri Lankan team arrived in Chinese Taipei yesterday (29) after completing an eight-day training camp in Thailand in preparation for the crucial encounter. The delegation was received at the airport in the presence of Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar and Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi.
Sri Lanka has so far played five matches in Group ‘D’, recording two wins and three defeats. The group also includes Turkmenistan and Thailand, alongside Chinese Taipei.
Sri Lanka secured victories against Turkmenistan (1–0) in Colombo and Chinese Taipei (3–1) in Colombo but suffered defeats against Thailand in Bangkok (0–1) and Colombo (0–4), as well as a 1–2 loss to Turkmenistan in Arkadag.
Despite the outcome of the final match, Sri Lanka will be eliminated from the tournament. However, FFSL President Jaswar Umar stated that this will be Sri Lanka’s first international match in 2026, and a victory could help improve the team’s FIFA rankings.
Officials also emphasised that a positive result against Chinese Taipei would provide a morale boost ahead of upcoming tournaments, including the Maldives Diamond Jubilee Football Tournament and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship scheduled in the coming months.