AFC U-17 Women’s Asia Cup: Young Tigresses a step away from historic consecutive qualification

India reached the quarterfinals at the previous edition, marking the first time the team had progressed to the knockout stage.  | Photo Credit: The Hindu

India is one result away from securing a second consecutive AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup appearance, but it must first get past Malaysia in Sunday’s decisive Group E qualifier.

Both sides won its respective opening two matches and remain level with six points each, though India leads the group with 16 goals scored and none conceded, as compared to Malaysia’s five goals.

A draw would be enough for Joakim Alexandersson’s team to finish first, while Malaysia must win to claim the group’s only qualifying place.

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Only the eight group winners will advance to the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027, joining defending champion DPR Korea , Japan, Australia and host China, who qualified directly after finishing in the top four at the 2026 tournament.

India reached the quarterfinals at the previous edition, marking the first time the team had progressed to the knockout stage. Qualifying again would make India the first Indian team to reach back-to-back Women’s Asian Cups in any age category, including senior level.

Despite the requirement being a draw, Alexandersson said that the side would approach the match aiming for victory.

“We have to go into the game trying to win. With young players, it is difficult to tell them that a draw will be enough. We will try to win the game, but at the same time, we have to attack with a little more sense and find the right balance,” he said.

India opened the qualifiers with a record 14-0 win over Iraq, the biggest victory by an Indian U17 women’s side, before beating Syria 2-0 on Thursday. Malaysia began with a 1-0 victory against Syria and then defeated Iraq 4-0.

Anushka Kumari has scored seven of India’s 16 goals, including five against Iraq and both goals against Syria. The 15-year-old credited her teammates for creating the chances.

“It feels very good to score seven goals, but it is not only about me. My teammates are creating the chances and giving me the passes, and I am trying to convert them. It is a team effort. We have all been working very hard, and I am very thankful to the team and to the coach for their support,” said the 15-year-old.

Anushka said India needed to be more clinical and move the ball faster against Malaysia.

Head coach Joakim Alexandersson has urged his players not to take anything for granted, despite the side’s strong start. | Photo Credit: AIFF MEDIA

“We could have scored more against Syria, but we were not clinical enough. We have to improve, move our attacks faster and move the ball quicker to unsettle the opponent. That is something we need to do against Malaysia,” added Anushka.

After a demanding stretch of training and two matches in four days, Alexandersson reduced the team’s workload with light strength exercises and a half-hour pool session. India is scheduled to train under floodlights on the eve of the match.

“I made the decision to give them some rest because I felt we had been training and playing games every day. Before the last game, I felt it was important to save some energy,” Alexandersson said.

“Now the focus is completely on the Malaysia match. We will go through how we want to defend against them, where their weaknesses are, how we can punish them and who their most important players are. These are the things we want to make clear to the players.”

India also has 13 players returning from the group that qualified for the 2026 edition, including Anushka, captain Abhista Basnett and goalkeeper Munni. Alexandersson said their experience could help the team stay composed and guide its newer players.

“Obviously, it helps a lot,” Alexandersson said of the returning players, including top-scorer Anushka, captain Abhista Basnett and goalkeeper Munni.

“They know what it is like to play these kinds of games. Most of them are now better at communicating, and they try to support the new players in a good way. The way they play also brings a certain calmness to the whole team, and that is very important.”

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Alexandersson has urged his players not to take anything for granted, despite the side’s strong start.

“Even if people outside think we are the favourites, we must always stay humble, whoever we are facing. In every sport, you have to be humble and respect the opponent,” the Swede said.

“Of course, self-confidence is important. You need to believe in what you are doing, but you also have to do the hard work in the games. As long as we stick to our principles and try to work harder than the opponent, I feel we have a good advantage,” he added.