AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026: India Predicted XI for Vietnam clash ft. Manisha Kalyan
India will kick off their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 campaign against Vietnam.
Indian Women’s Football Team are finally ready to begin their long-awaited AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 campaign, but they face a challenging task in the opening game itself. The Blue Tigers are poised to face off against Vietnam, a team which has participated in every single edition of the Women’s Asian Cup since the late 90s!
Amelia Valverde will need to shape up her side to be extremely resilient to the Vietnamese players’ attacking threat and also hold their own in the midfield battle. Moreover, she needs to ensure that her players are fearless in their forward movement and that they’re able to consistently hit their opponents with dangerous counter-attacks to enhance India’s chances of scoring in the game.
Valverde has travelled with a strong squad of players to Australia, but she can only choose the very best to be in the starting XI for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup opener. Here, we look at the India Predicted XI for the Women’s Asian Cup opener against Vietnam.
Goalkeeper: Panthoi Chanu
Panthoi Chanu has asserted herself as the undisputed no.1 for the Indian women’s team and it’s time she proves why she’s earned that prestige. The 30-year-old, who won the 2024-25 Indian Women’s League (IWL) title with East Bengal, will look to be at her sharpest in the Women’s Asian Cup.
Chanu will need to maintain impressive reflexes in her goal to make clutch saves and also time her positioning nicely to frustrate Vietnam. If Panthoi can be at her best in making repeated key saves, she can elevate her teammates’ mood and spur them on to get a big result.
Right-Back: Sanju Yadav
Sanju Yadav has built herself to be a really reliable player for the Indian women’s team, being adaptable to any situations and versatile in helping her side get big results. She has already managed 62 caps for the Indian women’s team, but the 28-year-old will now take part in the most challenging tournament of her career in the Women’s Asian Cup.
Yadav has to be extremely proactive in her role, working hard to make crucial defensive contributions and frustrate the Vietnamese forwards. She’ll also look to be smart in moving the ball forward and helping her side to keep their opponents guessing with clever attacking build-up play.
Centre-Back: Sweety Devi
Sweety Devi will need to be at her commanding best in the heart of her side’s backline in the Women’s Asian Cup, and Valverde will hope she can put her years of experience to good use. Sweety is normally a pretty reliable centre-back, as she knows how to frustrate forwards with tight marking and also being clever with her ability to make clearances.
Devi needs to be strong and uncompromising in the Women’s Asian Cup, as she’ll need to be at her energetic best to be able to guide her side to holding their own defensively against threatening teams like Vietnam.
Centre-Back: Shilky Devi
Just like Sweety Devi, Shilky Devi will also need to maintain an upbeat attitude in the upcoming Women’s Asian Cup competition. She needs to keep a sturdy defensive line alongside her fellow centre-back to ensure that Vietnam can’t hit them repeatedly or threaten their goalkeeper on a consistent basis.
Shilky Devi will need to be clutch with her challenges and clearances to frustrate the Vietnamese players and help her side stay alive in the game as well.
Left-Back: Martina Thokchom
Martina Thokchom might be one of the younger defenders in the India squad for the Women’s Asian Cup, but her spirited nature has seen her become an important player for the Blue Tigresses. The 21-year-old has already earned 15 caps for the Indian side and evolved into a vibrant full-back for them as well.
Well, Martina needs to use her positive energy levels and hard-working nature really strongly against Vietnam for India to keep them quiet. She will need to be accurate with her challenges to neutralize the opponents’ threat on her side, as well as needing to be brave in moving the ball forward and trying to support the attackers too.
Centre-Midfield: Sangita Basfore
Sangita Basfore played a crucial role in the Asian Cup qualifiers, as she scored four goals, including a match-winning brace against Thailand in the pivotal final qualifier. The 29-year-old is definitely a player who players with her heart on her sleeve, and her driven nature can have positive influences on those around her as well.
Basfore will need to be at her hard-working, persistent best in the Women’s Asian Cup as she’ll look to contribute defensively by winning the ball back in key areas and moving her side forward. Basfore also needs to retain that unpredictable element by getting at the end of chances and finishing off smartly to enhance India’s surprise factor and potentially take up beyond the group stages.
Centre-Midfield: Aveka Singh
With key midfielder Anju Tamang being injured before the Women’s Asian Cup, Amelia Valverde is likely to give a breakthrough to Aveka Singh in the competition. The 22-year-old Aveka has already made Indian football proud, as she currently plays for the Danish first division side Naestved HG’s first team and has impressed for the side in the ongoing campaign as well.
Aveka Singh is a technically adept midfielder who is extremely composed and competent on the ball and also energetic enough to help win it back in key areas. She will need to be proactive against Vietnam to combat their midfield threat, disrupting their play as well as moving it forward smartly.
Centre-Midfield: Soumya Guguloth
Another highly experienced player with the knowledge of how to excel against foreign opponents, Soumya Gugoloth will look to make her mark in the Women’s Asian Cup for India. She has already played for Dinamo Zagreb’s women’s team and knows how to handle the pressure of playing in a prominent international competition.
The East Bengal midfielder will need to be clever with her positioning to trifle the opposition midfielders. She will also look to be clever in creating chances with clutch final third passes, as well as getting at the end of chances to enhance India’s goal-scoring threat against Vietnam.
Right-Wing: Serto Lynda Kom
Lynda Kom might only have about 10 appearances for India in her belt, but she’s already made a significant impact for the Blue Tigresses. The 21-year-old has five goals in 10 international games for India, gaining a reputation for sniffing out chances really well.
Kom will, of course, need to really put in her pace and be smart with her movement and trickery to fool the opposition player and get into key goal-scoring positions. She will have to be extremely accurate with her finishing with any chances she gets to torment the Vietnamese players and be able to give an edge to India’s attacking play.
Left-Wing: Manisha Kalyan
Manisha Kalyan will be the major driving force for the Blue Tigresses in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and she plays a key role in deciding whether they can have a strong start against Vietnam. Kalyan has tons of experience of playing at major tournaments, and she needs to utilize that by being a leader in the attack for her side.
Kalyan will need to drive her side forward against Vietnam with his clever runs, but will need to be particularly efficient with her final passes or shots on goal to torment the opposition players and bring that special spark to the Indian frontline.
Centre-Forward: Pyari Xaxa
Pyari Xaxa has proven herself to be a dependable striker for the Blue Tigresses, having 18 goals in 39 appearances at the international stage so far. But it’s time for the 28-year-old forward to produce her absolute clinical best for the Indian women’s side for them to take the fight to their opponents in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Xaxa has to be clever with her off-the-ball movement and positioning in the final third to outwit the Vietnam defenders, and she will need to be extremely prolific with her finishing to guide the Blue Tigresses to a famous result.
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Uttiyo is a sports journalist who has been covering football since 2016. He is an avid football enthusiast who spends hours either watching the beautiful game or writing about it. He has covered various tournaments for Khel Now, such as the FIFA U17 World Cup, ISL, I-League & AFC Champions League.