India U17 women eye historic AFC Asian Cup quarters in must-win clash vs Lebanon

SUZHOU: India’s U17 women’s team may have fallen 0-3 to Japan in their second Group B encounter at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026, hope of reaching the knockout stage for the first-time ever is still alive as the team shifted its focus to the final group fixture against Lebanon.

While the result leaves India without points from two matches, their campaign remains very much alive. With Lebanon up next in the final group fixture, the qualification equation is more or less straightforward, a win could be enough to secure a historic quarter-final berth as one of the best third-placed teams.

India’s main rivals for the best third-place slot are Group C sides Philippines and Chinese Taipei, who have a negative goal difference of 13 and 14, respectively. They will play each other on the last matchday, which means either side will need to win by a big margin to overhaul India’s goal difference that currently stands at -5.

“No matter what happens, I will always be proud of these players. Since January, we have been working at 100 percent. At the end of the day, it’s football, and small details can decide things. I always tell the players to enjoy football and to be proud of themselves because we have worked very hard, often training twice a day. They must keep their heads high. Now, our focus shifts to Lebanon,” coach Conti was quoted by AIFF.com. (IANS)

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