Indian women football is living one of its most dominant phases in recent memory.
Across senior and youth levels, the national teams have combined for an impressive record of 12 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss in their last 15 international matches. What makes this run remarkable is not only the consistency across age groups but also the fact that it reflects the tangible results of long-term planning under the AIFF’s Vision 2047 roadmap one that aims to place India among Asia’s top eight women’s football nations by 2026.
Senior Team: Making History Again
The Blue Tigresses are enjoying a golden stretch of results. Four straight wins in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers helped India achieve something it hadn’t done in over two decades qualify for the continental championship on merit rather than as hosts or through default entry.
In their dominant qualifying campaign, India scored 24 goals without conceding a single one in the opening three games, including a 13-0 victory over Mongolia, the team’s biggest win in Asian Cup qualifying history. The campaign’s highlight came with a decisive 2-1 win over Thailand, a side ranked 24 places higher, where Sangita Basfore’s brace secured India’s ticket to Australia 2026.
It marked India’s first direct qualification since 2003, reinforcing their place in Asia’s competitive middle tier. The team, now under Head Coach Crispin Chettri, has found balance between experience and youth veterans like Ashalata Devi and Indumathi Kathiresan continue to anchor the side, while rising stars such as Shilky Devi and Neha are bridging the next generation.
But the journey upward remains steep. India’s struggles in the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 where they lost to Japan, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan underline the gulf that still exists with Asia’s elite. Closing that gap will require systemic continuity and more competitive exposure outside the SAFF region.
U20 Women: A Generation Breaking Barriers
If the senior team provided the headlines, the U20 women’s squad supplied the foundation. Under Swedish coach Joakim Alexandersson, India’s U20s achieved something monumental qualifying for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in two decades. Their qualification campaign was defined by control and composure. India topped Group D with seven points, an 8–0 goal difference, and zero goals conceded a testament to the side’s organization and discipline. A 7-0 win over Turkmenistan and a crucial 1-0 victory against hosts Myanmar (thanks to a goal from captain Shubhangi Singh) sealed passage to the finals.
This breakthrough validated the AIFF’s youth development focus and the unified technical direction now governing both U17 and U20 setups under Alexandersson. His approach emphasizes a consistent tactical model across age groups, ensuring that players transitioning upward like Pooja, Neha, and Shubhangi are already familiar with national team expectations.
U17 Women: From SAFF Dominance to Asian Ambition
The youngest success story belongs to the U17 team, whose offensive firepower stunned South Asia this year. The side captured the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship in Bhutan, scoring 30 goals in six matches, despite a narrow 3-4 defeat to Bangladesh after already sealing the title.
Led by skipper Julan Nongmaithem and boosted by talents like Anushka Kumari and Pritika Barman, the Young Tigresses played an attacking, fearless brand of football — a hallmark of Alexandersson’s philosophy. Twenty of the 23 players from that SAFF-winning squad have now been retained for the next major challenge: the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers.
India is placed in Group G, featuring Uzbekistan and hosts Kyrgyz Republic, with matches scheduled from October 13–17, 2025, in Bishkek. Only the group winner advances to the final tournament in China, making every game crucial. The U17s have reason for belief. They recently held Uzbekistan to a 0-0 draw in the CAFA U17 Championship, showing they can match their toughest rival. Still, this will be a test of tactical discipline and mental strength transitioning from regional dominance to continental competitiveness is the next big step.
AFC U17 Qualifiers: A Defining Moment
For the U17s, the AFC qualification campaign is more than just a tournament it’s a litmus test of India’s youth development structure.
Uzbekistan remains the primary threat, having previous experience at the continental stage. Their technical consistency and physicality will challenge India’s young defenders, who must stay compact while maintaining attacking flair. The Kyrgyz Republic, meanwhile, could prove tricky as hosts, especially given the altitude and colder climate in Bishkek conditions the Indian squad has been acclimatizing to with an early arrival.
If India can secure a convincing win in their opener against Kyrgyzstan, it will not only boost morale but also strengthen goal difference a potential tie-breaker in this small group. The final fixture against Uzbekistan could then effectively become a “virtual final” for a place in China 2026.
Success here would mean more than just qualification it would mark India’s first-ever progression to the U17 Asian Cup finals via the qualification route, ending a 21-year drought since their appearance in 2005.
The Domestic Foundation: Indian Women’s League’s Mixed Progress
All this international momentum, however, sits atop a fragile domestic structure. The Indian Women’s League (IWL) has grown in visibility and professionalism with the 2024–25 season expanding to eight teams and adopting a home-and-away format. Clubs like Odisha FC and Gokulam Kerala have set high competitive benchmarks, while new entrants such as East Bengal FC have started signing top Indian and foreign talent.
Yet, there’s an unresolved contradiction. The AIFF’s minimum salary mandate meant to guarantee 10 professional contracts per club at ₹3.2 lakh annually was withdrawn after financial resistance from clubs. While teams continue to receive subsidies, the absence of a wage floor leaves the league largely semi-professional, limiting long-term sustainability for players. Despite this, the IWL remains a critical feeder for the national teams. Stars like Shilky Devi (Best Midfielder 2024-25), Indumathi Kathiresan (Player of the Year), and Shreya Hooda (Best Goalkeeper) have all emerged through its ecosystem.
However, the overreliance on foreign forwards such as Uganda’s Fazila Ikwaput, who has dominated the scoring charts for two consecutive seasons exposes India’s lack of homegrown attacking talent, a challenge that directly impacts the senior team’s international finishing efficiency.
The success across age groups is not coincidental. For the first time, Indian women’s football has a vertically aligned system shared coaching philosophy, centralized scouting, and a unified training curriculum. The partnership between AIFF and Sports Authority of India (SAI) has expanded the registered women footballer base by over 230% in the last year, thanks to grassroots leagues under the ASMITA program.
This synchronization is creating a tangible pipeline from U13 to senior allowing India to develop technically consistent, competition-ready players. The appointment of Joakim Alexandersson as head of both U17 and U20 teams exemplifies this forward-thinking structure.
The Road Ahead: Turning Momentum Into Legacy
India’s women’s football ecosystem has momentum, but sustaining it requires systemic reinforcement. Three immediate priorities stand out: Reinstate phased professionalization in the IWL to ensure players can train full-time without financial insecurity.
Expand international exposure beyond South Asia, facing teams ranked between 40 and 60 globally will be crucial to closing the tactical gap. Nurture goal-scoring talent through specialized striker development programs to reduce dependency on foreign imports.
If these steps are executed with consistency, India’s remarkable 12-2-1 run could represent the beginning of a new era one where the Blue Tigresses and their youth counterparts don’t just dominate their regions but establish India as a true Asian contender. From qualification milestones to rising youth power, Indian women’s football stands at its most promising point yet.
The challenge now is to ensure that this moment becomes a movement a sustained march toward the vision of 2047 and a place among Asia’s elite.
