India take on Thailand in decisive clash to reach AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026

Chiang Mai (Thailand), July 4 (IANS) After more than two months of continuous toil and three wins in the group so far, India will take on Thailand for a place in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium on Saturday.

This will be the opportunity to script a new piece of history. India have never previously reached the AFC Women's Asian Cup through the qualifiers route. The Blue Tigresses last made it to the continent's top stage back in 2003 when there were no qualifiers. India did participate in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 as hosts, but had to withdraw due to a COVID outbreak in the squad. July 5, will present a chance to right those wrongs, although the 'wrongs' from three years ago were not their fault. The bigger dream is, of course, a first-ever qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027. The path to Brazil goes through Australia.

"Qualification right now would be a huge boost for Indian football overall," said coach Crispin Chettri. "We’re going through a challenging phase at the moment, and the women’s team qualifying would really provide a ray of hope. It would also help the women’s game grow in India. More young players would be inspired to take up football professionally. For those already in the national team, it would be an opportunity to face the best teams in Asia, and possibly the world. So in every way, I believe it would be a big step forward for football in India."

While Thailand are ranked 46th, 24 places above India, statistically, there hasn't been any difference in the Qualifiers thus far. They have been flawless. The Blue Tigresses blanked Mongolia 13-0, Timor Leste 4-0 and Iraq 5-0 while the Chabakaew defeated the same opponents 11-0, 4-0, and 7-0, respectively. That leaves both sides with a goal difference of +22 and sets up a knockout clash in every sense. Only a victory will do, and if there's no separating them after 90 minutes, the ticket to Australia will be handed out after penalties.

Chettri knows this challenge is bigger than the ones before, but affirms that the mindset needs to stay the same.

"I think we need to maintain the same mindset we’ve had throughout the tournament, from the Mongolia game to now. We haven’t taken any team lightly, and we've worked hard in training for every match. The same applies to Thailand. Yes, they are a stronger side than the others and deserve full respect, and for us, it's about executing what we've been preparing for the last two months.

"For us, the mindset is clear. We want to finish the game in 90 minutes. We’re not approaching it thinking about penalties. We’re preparing to win in regulation time and will play with that intent from the start. Being overly defensive or waiting for penalties is not how we want to approach this match.

"Sometimes, to qualify or to become champions, keeping clean sheets is just as important as scoring goals. I know we have the ability to score, but if we maintain our defensive discipline against Thailand, I believe we can win the match within the 90 minutes," said Chettri.

Midfielders Anju Tamang and Sangita Basfore know how it feels to play against Thailand, having faced them in the Asian Games in China in 2023. The Southeast Asians ran out 1-0 winners in a closely contested game.

"Thailand are a very good side. The last time we played them at the Asian Games, it was a tough and competitive match. They like to keep the ball and play quick, short passes. In the game, we need to fight hard and play with the right spirit, so we can get the win we want," said Anju, who has one goal and two assists in the Qualifiers so far.

Coached by Japanese Futoshi Ikeda, Thailand are targeting their 10th successive qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup. The Chabakaew have also made it to two FIFA Women's World Cups (2015 and 2019). And while India have never managed to defeat Thailand in history, Sangita believes there's no better time than now.

"Thailand are ranked higher, but it doesn't mean we can't beat them. Last time in the Asian Games, we attacked a lot, they did too, but we conceded due to a silly mistake. This time, we’re totally focused on winning," said Sangita, who scored the opening goals in the wins over Mongolia and Iraq.

"We missed the AFC Women's Asian Cup last time, and we badly want to make that right. This isn't like a final, this is literally a final. There's no other option. We have to win," she added.

--IANS

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