After a 23-year drought, India’s historic AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification signals a new era with a world-class coach leading the charge
India earned a spot at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time through qualification in July 2025 by beating Thailand, the host nation of the group stage, 2–1 and thus securing a place in the 2026 tournament which will be held in Australia.
By winning 2-1 against host nation Thailand, the Blue Tigresses have earned their place in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, ending India’s 23-year gap from Asia’s top women’s football competition. This victory denotes a significant shift in Indian football, as the men’s game has been struggling, whereas women’s football has now become a source of hope and genuine national pride.
The Historic Qualification Victory
Getting qualification was by no means a simple matter. Since both teams were on nine points apiece and had the same goal difference of +22 when the match took place, it was in effect a playoff with the winner claiming top spot in the group and thus qualifying for the 2026 tournament in Australia. India had been the last team to qualify directly for the main draw of the Women’s AFC Asian Cup football in 2003.
Sangita Basfore scored two goals, giving India a highly memorable victory that enabled the nation to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after a gap of 22 years, Thailand scoring via Chatchawan Rodhong.
India’s campaign for qualification was dominant throughout. In their first match of the qualification campaign, India scored 13 goals against Mongolia, seven different players scoring. Pyari Xaxa scored five of the goals in this resounding victory. Moreover, India secured a dominant 5-0 win against Iraq, with goals in the first half by Sangita Basfore and Manisha establishing the pace before a strong second half in which Karthika Angamuthu, Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, and Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi also scored.
They were simply not close calls; rather, they were clear proofs of their overwhelming superiority, showing a confidence in their play which had been missing from Indian women’s football for years.
The Amelia Valverde Factor: Bringing World Cup Experience
There was a great deal of global interest in the qualification, a trend which was greatly increased by the appointment of Amelia Valverde as head coach in January 2026. Amelia Valverde, the Costa Rican manager, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian women’s football team. The 39-year-old woman has a great deal of experience in managing international football and has already arrived at the Indian camp in Antalya, Turkey, as the Blue Tigresses get ready for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, which is set for March.
The fact that Valverde had been appointed was a clear indication of real ambition on the part of the organisation, proof once again of its policy of recruiting the best coaching talent from around the world.
Valverde started her career in coaching in 2011 when she was appointed as assistant manager of the senior team and also of the women’s U20 teams, joining them at the 2014 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. She then took charge of the senior team in 2015 and subsequently became the longest-serving coach in the history of the Costa Rican women’s football team, a position she held until 2023.
Her achievements go beyond her qualifications. She is known for having led Costa Rica to victories in the FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2023 as well as for winning league titles with C.F. Monterrey Femenil, and now has to deal with the task of taking India through a difficult group stage in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in order to earn a place in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
After she had left the Costa Rica national team, Valverde was given the position of coach at the Mexican club CF Monterrey in 2023, where she achieved immediate success by winning a historic double in 2024, comprising the Liga MX Femenil Clausura title that she secured in July and the Apertura that was won in November. Valverde was also awarded the Mexican Balón de Oro as the best coach in the Liga MX Femenil by the Mexican Football Federation that same year.
The inclusion of Valverde in the coaching staff brings with it World Cup-standard experience, a feature that Indian players have never before enjoyed in a competitive Asian Cup; India need clarity, belief and structure.
Women’s Football Rising While Men’s Football Stagnates
The timing of India’s women’s football resurgence is especially important:
The Asian Cup for Women’s football organised by the AFC in 2026 occurs at a time when Indian football has been experiencing difficult conditions in the case of men’s football. The senior men’s national team has not managed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 2015, and the Indian Super League season only started after a delay of several months resulting from a dispute between the All India Football Federation and its commercial partner.
Meanwhile, while men’s football is struggling with administrative disagreements and failures in qualification, women’s football has become a source of hope. “It’s really massive for Indian football. Our qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is like a ray of hope for Indian football at the moment,” said Crispin Chettri, the coach who led India’s qualification campaign.
The Competitive Landscape: Group and World Cup Path
India’s path to qualifying for the World Cup will be defined by major difficulties. The team are in Group C and their first match will be against Vietnam on 4 March in Perth, after which they will have to face a tough game against Japan three days later at the same location; they will then play Chinese Taipei in Sydney.
The bracket is very strict indeed; India are, without any doubt, the lowest-ranked team in the group. Japan came 8th in the most recent FIFA Women’s World Rankings, Vietnam are 36th, Chinese Taipei are 40th and India are 67th, so India will need a few major results, maybe against Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, if they are to reach the quarter-finals.
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is far more than a tournament; it provides a direct route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four winners of the quarter-finals will go directly to the World Cup, and each of the four quarter-final losers will have to play against one of the others in order to determine the other two direct spots at the World Cup, in addition to the four semi-finalists.
The six teams that finish at the top of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 qualification tournament will earn a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
Youth Success and Future Pipeline
India’s recovery is not simply limited to the senior squad. The India women’s under-20 football team secured their spot in the 2026 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory against host nation Myanmar in Yangon, Pooja’s goal in the first half being the deciding one and thus ending India’s 20-year wait to take part in the 2026 Asian Cup, which will take place in Thailand.
The fact that this youth qualification has taken place indicates that women’s football development is now being formally supported, implying a level of sustained competitiveness rather than just a temporary success.
A Crucial Moment for Indian Sports
The Indian Women’s Senior National Team has won the South Asian region five times, taking the first five SAFF Women’s Championship titles (in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019).
The fact that this regional dominance is occurring alongside growing competitiveness on the continental stage suggests that this positive development may profoundly affect Indian sports tradition.
