Chiang Mai [Thailand], June 22 : In just over 24 hours, the Indian senior women's team will kick off their AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers campaign in the northern Thai city of Chiang MaiIt wouldn't be completely wrong to note that the continent's premier competition has been somewhat ill-fated for the Blue Tigresses in the last few decades.
India last made it to the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2003. And when they hosted the tournament in 2022, a COVID outbreak in the team meant that India had to withdraw after only the first game and the results were declared void, as per the AIFF official website..
So, when head coach Crispin Chettri and his Blue Tigresses landed in Thailand on June 16, their only goal was to earn that ticket to Australia and become the first Indian squad to qualify for the AFC Women's Asian Cup via the qualifiers' route.
While India does have three podium finishes in the erstwhile Asian Women's Championship (runners-up in 1980 and 1983, and third place in 1981), this is the time to create new history in the 21st century.
India (ranked 70th) will face Mongolia (ranked 126th) on June 23, Timor Leste (ranked 158th) on June 29, Iraq (ranked 173rd) on July 2 and hosts Thailand (ranked 46th) on July 5, at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium.
Only the group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Australia in March 2026. The AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027.
Apart from Thailand, India have never faced the other three Group B opponents before.
"We don't have much information about Mongolia, Timor Leste and Iraq. They haven't played any matches recently. We do know a bit about Thailand. They played two games against Nepal in the last window, and one of them was closed doors," said Chettri as quoted by the AIFF official website.
"I tried different variations in our friendlies (against Uzbekistan). I tested many combinations in midfield, involving Sangita (Basfore), Karthika (Angamuthu), Ratanbala (Nongmaithem), Grace (Dangmei) and Anju (Tamang)," he added.
While India lost both friendlies 0-1 against Uzbekistan on May 30 and June 3, it was significant preparation for the all-important qualifiers. The Blue Tigresses, who had trained in Bengaluru since the start of May, travelled to Chiang Mai a week before the first game against Mongolia, and have had four full training sessions so far, including an intra-squad match.
"I think coming to Chiang Mai earlier has helped us a lot to acclimatise to the weather conditions and adjust to the time difference. The weather here is a bit more humid than in Bengaluru. The training ground is great and we're shaping up well for the forthcoming matches. We also played a full 90-minute match amongst ourselves on Thursday," said Chettri.
With an average age of just 23.6 years, Chettri has named a fairly young squad consisting of a lot of newcomers. But that's not to say there's a dearth of experience. For a Malavika, there's a Dangmei Grace, for a Priyadharshini, there's an Anju Tamang, for a Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, there's a Ngangbam Sweety Devi.
"We have a very good mix of youth and experience. We had 18-year-old goalkeeper Monalisha (Moirangthem) debut against Uzbekistan. I'm not scared to play with youngsters because this is how they are going to gain experience. And playing such important AFC matches will help us grow," said Chettri.
"Staying and working together for more than 45 days has done a great deal of good for their chemistry, and now what matters is executing it on the pitch. The focus on the training pitch has shifted more to tactical details.
"We're done working on the physical aspects now. We're focusing on patterns and set pieces every day, whether it's defending or attacking. We'll also know more about the opponents as the qualifiers progress," said Chettri.
India's 23-member final squad for the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, Moirangthem Monalisha Devi, Payal Basude.
Defenders: Hemam Shilky Devi, Kiran Pisda, Martina Thokchom, Ngangbam Sweety Devi, Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, Purnima Kumari, Sanju, Sorokhaibam Ranjana Chanu.
Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Grace Dangmei, Karthika Angamuthu, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi, Priyadharshini Selladurai, Sangita Basfore.
Forwards: Lynda Kom Serto, Malavika P, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Rimpa Haldar, Soumya Guguloth.
Head Coach: Crispin Chettri
Assistant Coach: Priya PV
Assistant Coach: Nivetha Ramadoss
Goalkeeper Coach: Mario Luis Aguiar
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Chelston Pinto
AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers Group B Schedule:
June 23: Mongolia vs India (14:30 IST)
June 29: India vs Timor Leste (14:30 IST)
July 2: India vs Iraq (14:30 IST)
July 5: Thailand vs India (18:00 IST)
Venue: 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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