India’s under-20 women’s football team has made history by qualifying for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup after 20 years. The team has earned a spot in the 2026 tournament, which will take place in Thailand.
The team went unbeaten to claim the top spot in Group D. In their last group game on 10 August 2025 at Yangon’s Thuwunna Stadium, they beat hosts Myanmar 1-0, with winger Pooja netting the match-winner in the 27th minute from a swift counter-attack.India finished the group stage with seven points. They started with a 0-0 draw against Indonesia,
then won 7-0 against Turkmenistan, and finally defeated Myanmar. The team didn’t let in a single goal during the whole qualifying stage.The match against Myanmar was tough. In the first half, India had more control, but Myanmar attacked strongly in the second half.
Goalkeeper Monalisha Devi made several important saves to keep the lead. Myanmar came close to scoring twice, hitting the goalpost both times. India also had a late chance when Sulanjana Raul’s header hit the bar.
This is the first time since 2006 that India’s U20 women’s team will play in the Asian Cup finals. The team is coached by Joakim Bernt Alexandersson from Sweden. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been working on improving women’s football at the grassroots level. They have launched many local tournaments and seen more girls registering to play football across the country.
To reward the players, the AIFF has announced a cash prize of USD 25,000 (about ₹22 lakh) for the squad.
The journey to this success began last year. Since December 2024, the team has been training hard and playing in international competitions. They also competed in the Pink Ladies Youth Cup in Türkiye, securing wins over teams such as Hong Kong and Jordan.
The AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup will take place in April 2026. The AIFF plans more training camps and international games to prepare the team for playing against Asia’s best.