AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers: India Face Thailand In Winner-Take-All Clash

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Last Updated:July 04, 2025, 19:13 IST

India take on Thailand for a spot in the AFC Women's Asian Cup. India has never beaten Thailand or qualified through the qualifiers.

Indian women's team head coach Crispin Chettri (AIFF)

India will need to perform exceptionally well when they face higher-ranked Thailand on Saturday for a spot in next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia.

India has never defeated Thailand and has never qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup through the qualifiers. The Blue Tigresses last participated in the continent’s premier tournament in 2003 when qualifiers were not held. They did take part in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 as hosts but had to withdraw due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.

After over two months of persistent effort and three wins in the group stage, India aims to seize this opportunity to continue their journey towards the bigger dream of qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in 2027.

“Qualification right now would be a huge boost for Indian football overall," Crispin Chettri was quoted as saying.

“We’re going through a challenging phase at the moment, and the women’s team qualifying would really provide a ray of hope. It would also help the women’s game grow in India. More young players would be inspired to take up football professionally.

“For those already in the national team, it would be an opportunity to face the best teams in Asia, and possibly the world. So in every way, I believe it would be a big step forward for football in India."

India vs Thailand – Who Qualifies?

Thailand is ranked 46th, 24 places above India, and both teams have won three matches each in the qualifiers so far.

The Blue Tigresses defeated Mongolia 13-0, Timor Leste 4-0, and Iraq 5-0, while the Chabakaew beat the same opponents 11-0, 4-0, and 7-0 respectively.

This results in both sides having a goal difference of +22, setting up a decisive clash. Only a victory will suffice, and if the teams are still tied after 90 minutes, the ticket to Australia will be decided via penalties.

“I think we need to maintain the same mindset we’ve had throughout the tournament, from the Mongolia game to now. We haven’t taken any team lightly, and we’ve worked hard in training for every match. The same applies to Thailand," Chettri said.

“Yes, they are a stronger side than the others and deserve full respect, and for us, it’s about executing what we’ve been preparing for the last two months.

“For us, the mindset is clear. We want to finish the game in 90 minutes. We’re not approaching it thinking about penalties. We’re preparing to win in regulation time and will play with that intent from the start. Being overly defensive or waiting for penalties is not how we want to approach this match.

“Sometimes, to qualify or to become champions, keeping clean sheets is just as important as scoring goals. I know we have the ability to score, but if we maintain our defensive discipline against Thailand, I believe we can win the match within the 90 minutes."

Thailand, coached by Japanese Futoshi Ikeda, is aiming for their 10th consecutive qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The Chabakaew have also played in two FIFA Women’s World Cups, in 2015 and 2019.

(With inpus from PTI)

Ritayan Basu

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...Read More

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