India take on Thailand in decisive clash to reach AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Chiang Mai: After more than two months of continuous toil and three wins in the group so far, India will take on Thailand for a place in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium on Saturday.

This will be the opportunity to script a new piece of history. India have never previously reached the AFC Women’s Asian Cup through the qualifiers route. The Blue Tigresses last made it to the continent’s top stage back in 2003 when there were no qualifiers. India did participate in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 as hosts, but had to withdraw due to a COVID outbreak in the squad. July 5, will present a chance to right those wrongs, although the ‘wrongs’ from three years ago were not their fault. The bigger dream is, of course, a first-ever qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027. The path to Brazil goes through Australia.

“Qualification right now would be a huge boost for Indian football overall,” said coach Crispin Chettri. “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.”

While Thailand are ranked 46th, 24 places above India, statistically, there hasn’t been any difference in the Qualifiers thus far. They have been flawless. The Blue Tigresses blanked Mongolia 13-0, Timor Leste 4-0 and Iraq 5-0 while the Chabakaew defeated the same opponents 11-0, 4-0, and 7-0, respectively. That leaves both sides with a goal difference of +22 and sets up a knockout clash in every sense. Only a victory will do, and if there’s no separating them after 90 minutes, the ticket to Australia will be handed out after penalties.

Chettri knows this challenge is bigger than the ones before, but affirms that the mindset needs to stay the same. IANS

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