The Indian U17 women’s team is just a step away—or, to be precise, a point away—from making history by becoming the first-ever batch to earn a place in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup on merit.
India will face Uzbekistan in the last qualifying encounter of Group G at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek on Friday. Avoiding defeat will secure their place at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026. The match will be streamed live on the Kyrgyz Sport TV YouTube channel.
“This game is what we have been working for all these months,” said captain Julan Nongmaithem, who scored a stunning 90th-minute volley to guide India to a 2-1 win over the Kyrgyz Republic in their first game on Monday.
“It was a tough start to the qualifiers against Kyrgyz Republic, but we were happy to finally get the win. That gave us a good advantage heading into the last game,” Julan added.
The 14-year-old dedicated the goal to her late father, who passed away last year. “I know he’s watching from heaven,” an emotional Julan said after the game.
Kyrgyzstan bounced back to defeat Uzbekistan 2-1 in the second match on Wednesday. That means India still lead the three-team group due to a superior head-to-head record. A point against Uzbekistan will see them top the standings and secure their ticket to China next year.
Head coach Joakim Alexandersson expressed some disappointment with the team’s overall performance in the first game, despite the win, but assured that confidence remains intact.
“We weren’t able to play exactly the way we wanted. We struggled in our build-up phases for most of the match. But in the second half, we used the flanks more effectively, creating some good attacking moments. Although the display didn’t fully reflect our potential, we were happy to get the three points, which I thought we deserved,” said the Swede.
Alexandersson and his coaching staff attended Uzbekistan’s first qualifying game at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on Wednesday. On the opponents, he said, “Kyrgyzstan were tougher physically and sharper, but Uzbekistan tried to play more with the ball. I’m sure Uzbekistan will really want to bounce back from this result, so I expect nothing less than a tough game for us in the last match. We will have more rest and more days to prepare than they will, which should normally be an advantage, but you never know. There’s one game to go, and they will fight very hard for three points.
“We’ll go for a win, obviously. There’s no point sitting back and playing for a draw. That’s always risky. So we’ll try to play our own game and not think too much about the scenarios. Everything is in our hands,” the head coach affirmed.
Just over two months ago, Alexandersson led the U20s to AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup qualification, ending a 20-year wait. Now, the Swede is on the cusp of more glory, aiming to snap a bigger drought. The last time India played the AFC U17 Women’s Championship was in 2005, when 11 teams participated directly. Since the introduction of the qualification system, India has never made it among Asia’s elite—until now.
Alexandersson said the achievement would be a huge boost for not just the U17 girls but women’s football in India, especially after the senior team also qualified for the 2026 Asian Cup on merit for the first time.
“I’d be very happy if the U17s can achieve this as well. It would mean a lot for the coming years of women’s football in India—to see not only the senior team, but also the U20 and U17 teams reaching this level. Hopefully, it will inspire even more girls across India to take up this beautiful sport,” he added.
–IANS