AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers: All you need to know
India will start their qualification process on 5th October 2026.
The 2027 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers are set to take place from 5th October to 11th October 2026. The qualifiers will feature 30 teams in total, divided into six groups of four and two groups of three.
The Young Indian Tigresses have been drawn into Group E, alongside Iraq, Malaysia & Syria. All qualifier matches for Group E will be hosted by Malaysia at the MP Selayang Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
India U17 Women’s head coach Joakim Alexandersson revealed his 23-player squad for the upcoming qualifier matches. Out of his 23 players, 11 Young Tigresses who played for India in the previous edition will be returning.
India at the 2026 U17 Women’s Asian Cup
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In the 2026 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, India had a great run in the tournament, reaching all the way to the Quarter-Finals. In its previous edition, India qualified only for the second time ever by winning their qualification group against Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan.
India were then drawn into a group with hosts Australia, Japan & Lebanon. India managed to win only one game against Lebanon, which secured their qualification to the quarter-finals, where they lost to China 3-0.
Qualification process for AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup
The U17 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be hosted by China in 2027. The tournament will feature a total of 12 teams, of which 4 have already qualified. The top 4 from the previous edition get automatic qualification for the tournament. Those are defending champions DPR Korea, runners-up Japan, and semi-finalists Australia and China PR.
All 30 teams that are playing in the 2027 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers were divided into six groups of four and two groups of three. All teams will contest a single round-robin centralized league from October 5 to 11.
Group A hosts Tajikistan, the Republic of Korea, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. While Indonesia will play against Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in Group B. All matches in Group B will be hosted by Singapore.
Chinese Taipei are in Group C alongside Iran, Laos (H) and Cambodia, with Laos set to host the qualifiers for Group C. Vietnam will host, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Mariana Islands and Palestine in Group D.
India headline Group E, with Malaysia set to host Syria and Iraq. Thailand will be hosting Lebanon, Macau and Bhutan in Group F.
Group G will see Myanmar host Hong Kong and Guam battling it out, while Group H will be contested by the Philippines, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, with Uzbekistan set to host.
The team that tops its respective group will qualify for the eventual tournament that will take place in China between March 31 and April 17, 2027. The top 4 teams of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup will directly qualify for the 2027 U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
India Squad
On 1st October, India U17 Women’s head coach Joakim Alexandersson revealed his 23 player squad. Here is the squad & coaching staff that will represent the Young Tigresses at the 2027 U17 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Goalkeepers: Munni, Sanatombi Devi Irengbam, Sonam Ghosh
Defenders: Abhista Basnett, Ambalika Chanu Khudongbam, Daina Devi Konthoujam, Joyshini Chanu Huidrom, Ritu Badaik, Taniya Devi Tonambam
Midfielders: Alva Devi Senjam, Bonifilia Shullai, Julan Nongmaithem, Monika Devi Wairokpam, Pritika Barman, Redima Devi Chingkhamayum, Silky Devi Sorokhaibam, Thandamoni Baskey, Yashica Haribabu
Forwards: Anushka Kumari, Deepika Kumari, Joya, Nidhi, Nira Chanu Longjam
Head coach: Joakim Alexandersson
Assistant coach: Anthony Andrews and Nivetha Ramadoss
Goalkeeping coach: Fysal K Bapu
Fixtures for the Young Tigresses
India are drawn in Group E with Iraq, Malaysia & Syria. All matches for Group E will be hosted by Malaysia at the MP Selayang Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
India’s schedule:
- October 5, 2026: India vs Iraq, 1.30 PM IST
- October 8, 2026: Syria vs India, 1.30 PM IST
- October 11, 2026: India vs Malaysia, 6.30 PM IST
When will India play their first match in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup?
India will play their first match in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup against Iraq on 5th October at the MP Selayang Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Who is the head coach of the India U17 Women’s Team?
Joakim Alexandersson is the head coach for the India U17 Women’s Team.
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