New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) After a brief camp in Gurugram, the India U17 women’s national team reached Suzhou on Monday ahead of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026.
India, qualifying for the tournament after 21 years, will start their campaign against Australia on May 2 at 5:00 PM IST on Pitch 8, then face Japan on May 5 at 5:00 PM IST on Pitch 4, and Lebanon on May 8 at 1:00 PM IST on Pitch 8, with all matches held at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre pitches.
The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams across all groups, will advance to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will then qualify for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026. The AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 will be broadcast live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel.
The Young Tigresses arrived in Suzhou early Monday morning, April 27, and will have their first training session in the evening.
Under Italian head coach Pamela Conti, appointed in January, India has been conducting a continuous training camp for over three months, mostly in Bengaluru. As a U17 team, they won the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in February and secured two friendly victories against Myanmar in Yangon in March. Earlier this month, they played three friendly matches against Russia in Sochi; although they lost all three, these games provided valuable experience against strong opponents ahead of the Asian competition.
Following their return from Russia, the Young Tigresses extended their training camp in Gurugram from April 20 to 26 before heading to China.
India’s 23-member squad for AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026:
Goalkeepers: Munni, Surajmuni Kumari, Tamphasana Devi Konjengbam.
Defenders: Abhista Basnett, Alena Devi Sarangthem, Alisha Lyngdoh, Divyani Linda, Elizabed Lakra, Joyshini Chanu Huidrom, Ritu Badaik, Taniya Devi Tonambam.
Midfielders: Alva Devi Senjam, Bonifilia Shullai, Julan Nongmaithem, Olivia Chanu Ningthoujam, Pritika Barman, Redima Devi Chingkhamayum, Thandamoni Baskey.
Forwards: Anushka Kumari, Anwita Raghuraman, Joya, Pearl Fernandes, Valaina Fernandes.
Head coach: Pamela Conti
Assistant coaches: Vincenzo Conti and Nivetha Ramadoss
Goalkeeping coach: Mario Aguiar
Strength and conditioning coach: Amit Yadav
India’s schedule at AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026:
May 2: Australia vs India (Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8)
May 5: India vs Japan (Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 4)
May 8: India vs Lebanon (Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8)
–IANS
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