Top 5 India U17 players to watch out for in AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026

India will begin their campaign against Australia

The AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 is poised to be the next major tournament in which the India U-17 national football team takes part, returning to the major continental tournament after a three-year gap. The Blue Colts, led by Bibiano Fernandes, will be eager to make their mark and are going to face some really stern challenges in the matches ahead.

India U-17 have been placed in the same group as Australia U-17 and Uzbekistan U-17 – facing two formidable matches in the initial stages itself.

However, with the shining prospect of not only qualification into the knockout rounds – but also qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2027 on the line by securing a top-2 finish in their group – Bibiano Fernandes side will look to prove their best performances to cause some upsets.

Fernandes, to his credit, has named a strong squad for India U-17 – featuring some of the best young talents from the Indian football scene.

While it will definitely be a team effort that will be needed for India U-17 to reach into the knockout rounds, some impressive young talents will have a lot of eyes on them – hoping for big performances in the U-17 Asian Cup.

Here, we look at the five India U-17 players to watch out for in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026.

5. Shubham Poonia

The fact of the matter for the India U-17 side is that in order for them to hold their own against the likes of Australia and Uzbekistan in the U-17 Asian Cup, they will need to be defensively really resilient to be able to overcome major challenges.

They will need to hold together an extremely sturdy defensive structure, and Shubham Poonia will play a key role in helping keep his side be defensively stubborn.

Poonia has already made 13 appearances for the India U-17 side and has broken through to the NorthEast United squad in the 2025-26 Indian Super League as well.

Poonia has proven himself as a proactive, commanding defender – who is capable of reading opposition moves well to make important challenges and hold his own against formidable forwards.

He’ll need to be diligent with making last-ditch challenges and clearances to help neutralize the opponents’ threat in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 and ensure India U-17 can be resilient against the onslaught thrown at them.

4. Washington Singh

Washington Singh has emerged as a promising forward under Bibiano Fernandes for the India U-17 squad in 2026, having broken into the squad earlier this year. The teenage forward has only gotten around five appearances under his belt so far but has already managed to score two goals as well.

Indeed, Washington managed to score for India in their wins over Myanmar U-17 and Indonesia U-17 earlier in 2026 – proving his quality in the frontline for the Blue Colts. Singh is likely to be used quite extensively by Fernandes in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, be it as a starter or an impact substitute.

Irrespective of how many minutes he gets for the Blue Tigers, Washington needs to be motivated and charged up to torment the opposition defenders. The young forward needs to be smart with his off-the-ball movement and pace to outwit the defenders, getting into the danger zones and creating chances.

He will, although, mostly look to get into the danger zones inside the box and finish off chances ruthlessly to help his side get some major results.

3. Denny Singh

Denny Singh has now become quite an experienced figure for the India U-17 national team under Fernandes, having already made 15 appearances for his side. The energetic midfielder will definitely need to play a key role for the Indian side to be able to take the fight to their opponents in the midfield battle.

Denny has to be hard-working with his defensive contributions, track the movement of opposition players and regaining possession in key areas to march them forwards.

He will also need to be impactful in the opposition half, making smart forward passes to trigger potential goal chances and also take up any changes he gets clinically.

The 16-year-old needs to be an industrious figure in the midfield for India U-17 to hold their own against physical, creative opposition midfielders and stop them from dictating play in the key areas.

2. Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam

Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam is arguably the biggest goal threat for India U-17 heading into the AFC U-17 Asian Cup campaign, having performed really well under Bibiano Fernandes so far.

The 16-year-old forward has scored five goals in 13 appearances for the Blue Colts so far, proving his quality even against formidable defenders at the youth level.

But now, it’s time for Gunleiba to prove how clinical he can really be when the heat rises and he has to face some of the most challenging defenders in the continental scene.

The teenager will need to be really smart with his positioning and off-the-ball running to dupe the centre-backs and get the better of them in the duels.

He will be tasked to get at the end of chances inside the final third and finish off chances efficiently to raise India U-17’s goal-scoring threat and enable them to scrap their way through to victories.

1. Dallalmuon Gangte

The captain of the India U-17 side heading into the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, of course, will be their inspired midfielder Dallalmuon Gangte! The 16-year-old played a crucial role in  helping India U-17 qualiify for the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Chinese Taipei in the qualifiers before also scoring against Iran U-17 in the pivotal final qualification match.

Gangte will look to be an inspired figure for the Blue Colts in the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup as well, timing his runs well in the midfield and looking to impose himself in the key attacking moves.

Gangte will need to be precise with his passing to help with the progression of the ball, but also needs to be creative with his delivery to be able to set up big chances for his teammates.

Gangte will also need to take up whatever chances comes his way and convert them ruthlessly to be able to help India U-17 take the fight to their opponents and get some respectable results.

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