Indian football is going through a tough period as it is staring at an uncertain future due to a lack of coordination and administrative issues at different levels, especially in the men’s event, but when we talk about Indian women’s football, it is showing signs of recovery.
The Indian women’s football team’s performance has looked impressive in the last one and a half years or so. One of its biggest achievements was qualifying for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
The Indian women’s team has produced impressive results in junior football, showcasing their talent at the under-17 as well as at the under-20 level in 2025. The women’s team has a busy schedule in international as well as domestic football in 2026 that bodes well for the growth of women’s football in India.
Indian Women’s Senior National Team (AFC Women’s Asia Cup)- AFC Asia Cup is amongst the most recognized and reputed footballing events that can surely provide a boost to women’s football in India. The Blue Tigresses sneaked through a hard-fought win over Thailand in the qualifying game. This is the first time since they last played in an AFC Asian Cup way back in 2003. The women’s team has been placed in a challenging group, consisting of teams such as Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, and Japan. The following are the matches women’s teams will play in the AFC Asian Cup:
- India vs. Vietnam – March 4th, 2026
- India vs. Japan—March 7th, 2026
- India vs. Chinese Taipei—March 10th, 2026
Under-20 Women’s Team (AFCu-20 Asian Cup) India under-20 women’s team performed with a resolute approach in 2025, showcasing their capabilities to take on some of the higher-ranked teams as they won 8 out of 13 matches and lost just 1. They beat Myanmar and Turkmenistan to qualify for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup.
The AFC U-20 Asian Cup will begin in April 2026, and coach Joakim Alexandersson will hope his team continues with the same performance as in 2025. They have been placed in a tough group consisting of teams such as Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Australia. The following is the schedule of the under-17 women’s team in the AFC Asian Cup 2026:
- India U-20 vs Japan U-20 – 2nd April 2026
- India U-20 vs Australia U-20—5th April 2026
- India U-20 vs Chinese U-20—8th April 2026
U-17 Women’s Team schedule- India U-17 women’s team performed equally well in 2025, producing a superlative performance, winning 7 out of their 8 matches, and also scoring 34 goals in those games. During the U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifying matches, they beat Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to qualify for the 2026 U-17 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The U-17 women’s team last played in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in 2005. The tournament will begin on the 30th of April 2026 and will be played till the 17th of May 2026.
Indian Women’s League- Indian Women’s League is in its 9th season, as the tournament began on the 20th of December and will be played till the 10th of May 2026. The team that finishes with the maximum number of points will be declared the winner, while the bottom-ranked 2 teams will be relegated to IWL 2.
East Bengal are the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2024-25. Goa-based club Sesa Football Academy and Garhwal United were promoted from IWL 2, and Odisha Football Club and House of Power Football Club, which is based in Delhi, have been relegated to IWL 2 this season. Matches in the first phase were played in Kalyani and the National Centre of Excellence, both in Kolkata.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Women’s football is slowly growing, and more tournaments for women at the junior as well as the senior level can boost the popularity of the sport and attract more girls to pursue it professionally as well as strengthen the core of women’s football at the club level as well as at the junior level, helping refine the skills of players and preparing them for the international tournaments.
