AFC Women's Asian Cup: Indian Women's Football Team's record over the years
India have qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup through qualifiers for the first time in history!
As the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 approaches, the excitement and anticipation among Indian football players and supporters are at an all-time high, as the Blue Tigresses could create history in Australia. The stakes are high, as India are potentially closer to a FIFA World Cup spot than ever in the recent history of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Even if India finishes as one of the two best third-ranked teams in the group stage, they might play a one-off World Cup qualification game. While the excitement is understandable, let us take a look at the Blue Tigresses’ previous performance in the tournament.
The Golden Era: 1980-1983
There were three editions of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup from 1980 to 1983. India hosted the competition in 1980 and sent two teams: the India Seniors and the India Novices. Calicut’s EMS Stadium hosted the games. T
he Indian senior team went undefeated in the group stage, then defeated Hong Kong in the semi-finals to advance to the final. They did, however, lose to the Republic of China in the finals, finishing in second place.
In the 1981 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, India enjoyed another outstanding group stage, finishing as table toppers with no losses. However, Thailand defeated them in the semi-finals, putting an end to their hopes of winning the event. They did, however, upset the hosts, Hong Kong, in the third-place match to secure the bronze.
The fifth edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup took place in Thailand in 1983. The structure of this competition was altered due to Japan’s and Taiwan’s late withdrawals. One group of six teams was formed, and the top two teams advanced straight to the finals.
India finished second in the group with four victories out of five, owing to Shanti Mullick’s eight goals in five games. But much as in the last edition, India finished in second place after failing to defeat Thailand.
The Absence: 1986-1993
Between 1986 & 1993, there were four editions of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held, with Hong Kong hosting two of them. However, India failed to participate in any of these tournaments due to issues with the Women’s Football Federation of India.
As these editions of the tournament were not officially recognised by FIFA, the federation struggled to secure funding, and the WFFI eventually lost its authority to the AIFF, which prioritised and invested in men’s football over women’s football.
The Decline: 1995-2003
While the AIFF and WFFI’s troubles remained, the Indian Women’s National Team was kept in the dark since they played no international football matches. But the chief minister of TN at the time, Dr J. Jayalalithaa, ended this. When she realised there was no football for Indian women’s national teams, she organised the 1994 Dr Jayalalithaa Gold Cup at Chennai’s JLN Stadium.
This was an important turning point in women’s football history, when the AIFF consented to let the Indian women’s team compete against Russia, Ghana, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Hungary, Chile, and Uzbekistan.
The Indian women’s NT returned to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 1995, but they were no longer the dominant force they once were. As other countries made significant investments while the WFFI was preoccupied with battling the AIFF, they struggled to match the calibre of the teams surrounding them.
As a result, the two-time runner-up were eliminated from the group stage in each of the five tournaments staged between 1995 and 2003. The Indian Women’s Football team was on a definite downward trajectory owing to a lack of fixtures and finance from the AIFF, going from unbeaten to struggling to win even a game in the group stages.
The Qualification Drought: 2006–2018
The Indian Women’s NT no longer competed in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup since the Asian Football Confederation removed the direct qualifying by invitation criterion. To advance to the final AFC Women’s Asian Cup competition, teams have to participate in the qualifications.
This was a significant setback for the Indian women’s side, which was well behind its peers in terms of preparation and quality due to the AIFF’s inadequate funding of women’s teams.
While the era beginning in 2010 is widely referred to as the revival of the Indian Women’s Football team due to their dominance in SAFF events and the launch of the IWL in 2016, the Blue Tigresses were not able to reproduce the same success at the Asian level.
They were not able to compete in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for five straight editions after failing terribly in the qualifying rounds.
The Heartbreak: 2022
India hosted the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune serving as the host cities. The Blue Tigresses made their first appearance in over 19 years as the tournament’s hosts and were awarded straight qualification.
Despite several chances for both sides, Thomas Dennerby’s team was able to hold Iran to a goalless draw in the first encounter.
However, the joy was short-lived and ended cruelly when the Indian team’s second match against Chinese Taipei was cancelled because of a widespread COVID outbreak in the camp.
As a consequence, they were unable to name the necessary 13 players and were forced to withdraw from the competition, with all three matches declared null and void.
The Opportunity: 2026
For the first time in history, the Indian Women’s National Team qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup based on merit. Crispin Chhetri led the squad in the qualifications and eventually guided them to the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 23 years.
The Blue Tigresses won all of their qualifications, including a final-game victory over Thailand, thanks to Sangita’s brace.
However, the team will be led by Costa Rican head coach Amelia Valverde in the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup. India have been drawn alongside Vietnam, Japan and Chinese Taipei in group C.
While finishing in the top two could be a difficult task, Amelia would be hoping to take the Blue Tigresses to the knockouts by finishing as one of the best third-placed teams.
Is Anju Tamang available for India in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup?
Anju Tamang has been ruled out of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup due to an injury.
Why was India’s matches in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup declared null and void?
The Indian team were unable to play their second match against Chinese Taipei due to covid outbreak in the camp. As a result, they were forced to withdrew from the competition.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
Shyam Sundar is an Indian football fan turned writer who has been covering the sport since 2023, after following it closely since 2020. He has reported on the ISL, I-League, IWL, and Indian national team matches. A passionate football enthusiast, he holds a special place in his heart for Chennaiyin FC and Manchester United.