Know your player for AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026: Sweety Devi Ngangbam

The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will start from 1st March.

The Indian women’s team is scheduled to compete in their second straight AFC Women’s Asian Cup, having qualified as hosts in the previous edition. However, this is the first time in the tournament’s previous seven editions that they have advanced on merit by winning the qualifications.

Newly appointed head coach Amelia Valverde has announced a strong 26-member group that will represent the country in the competition hosted in Australia.

And while we continue to examine each player’s profile individually, our player of the day is Sweety Devi, who plays as a defender for East Bengal FC.

Sweety Devi’s career so far:

Sweety Devi, unlike other footballers, had an advantage early in her career since she was fortunate to have her own father as her coach. Ngangbam Ruhikanta Singh, Sweety’s father, is a football coach who has coached Manipur’s young team.

Sweety began her career under his father’s supervision, playing with guys to hone her physique and mental toughness.

Sweety began her IWL career with Manipur-based team Eastern Sporting Union when she was 17 years old. She has been constantly moving up the ladder since then, moving from club to club as her career progressed.

After leaving ESU, she joined Sethu FC for a season, winning the IWL, before returning to Manipur to play for KRYPHSA FC.

At 21, Sweety Devi moved to Kickstart FC for the 2021/22 IWL season and then made a move to Odisha FC winning the IWL yet again in her two seasons with the Juggernauts. Last year, she joined East Bengal FC, where she won the IWL for the third time.

Like the majority of Indian women’s national team football players, Sweety Devi has been a part of the national team setup since a very young age.

She has also played for India at the U-16, U-19, and senior levels. Sweety earned her senior women’s national team debut at the age of 18, playing alongside experienced defender Ashalata Devi.

Fun fact: Sweety Devi and Chinglensana Singh are in a public relationship.

Read More: Top five players to watch out for India at AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026

What does Sweety bring to the table?

Since making her debut for the Indian women’s NT, Sweety Devi has established herself as one of the nation’s top and up-and-coming players.

To her credit, she has lived up to the expectations and established herself as one of, if not the finest, center-backs in the country, whether at the club or national team level. Over the past eight years, she has made 67 appearances for the NT.

Sweety is not a defender who simply plays the ball long every time she receives it. She is well recognized for her composed passing from the back, in addition to her ability to hit accurate long balls to start counter assaults or switch flanks.

In addition to her tackling prowess, Sweety Devi is regarded by many as one of the hardest players on the field. Once more, Sweety, like her defensive counterpart Shilky Devi, has concerns about her aerial skills.

Sweety’s leadership will be Amelia Valverde’s strongest asset heading into the competition. The 26-year-old center joined the national team as a young defender to partner Ashalata Devi at the back.

As she became older, Ashalata taught her a lot, and one of the most important skills she acquired was the ability to command.

Sweety recently guided her club East Bengal to an IWL victory with no goals conceded, demonstrating her remarkable organizational skills. She has previously captained the Blue Tigresses on several occasions and is a member of the leadership group.

Player profile: Sweety Devi Ngangbam

• Name: Sweety Devi Ngangbam
• Age: 26
• Place of Birth: Langthabal, Manipur
• Height: 161 cm (5’3”)
• Positions: Centre-back
• Preferred Foot: Right-footed player
• Current Club: East Bengal FC Women

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