India vs Thailand Preview, team news, lineups & prediction | AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifier

India have been unbeaten in the qualifiers so far.

The Indian Women’s football team will have a chance of securing qualification for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup when they face hosts Thailand Women in their final AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifier at the 700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai on Saturday, 5 July 2025.

The Blue Tigresses blanked Mongolia 13-0, Timor Leste 4-0 and Iraq 5-0, while the Chabakaew defeated the same opponents 11-0, 4-0, and 7-0, respectively. That leaves both sides with a goal difference of +22 and sets up a knockout clash in every sense.

Only a victory will do, and if there’s no separating them after 90 minutes, the ticket to Australia will be handed out after penalties. Basically, whoever finishes as the winners will officially qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, while the others’ dreams will be over.

There’s literally nothing to separate 🇮🇳 & 🇹🇭 in Group B of the #WAC2026 Qualifiers 🤜🤛July 5: 🐯 #BlueTigresses vs Chabakaew ⚔️Winner-takes-all. 🎫✈️🇦🇺#IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/GnvWGKOr2M

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 3, 2025

The Stakes

Thailand

Thailand are the highest-ranked team in their group and have proven why by scoring 22 goals and not conceding once in their three group games so far.

They have qualified for every single AFC Women’s Asian Cup in its history, barring just three (1980, 1993 and 1997) and are heavy favourites to make the tournament once again.

Futoshi Ikeda will aim to ensure that his players can maintain the aura of dominance around them, which includes playing incisive attacking football and being at their ruthless best. A win over India will definitely be cause for joy as Thailand will qualify for the Women’s Asian Cup.

A loss would mean they’ll miss out on qualification for the tournament for the first time since 1997, which would be utterly humiliating, so the stakes couldn’t be higher for them.

Also Read: Top five biggest wins by the Indian women’s football team

India

India have proven their quality by being at their clinical best in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification stages so far. They have also scored 22 goals and not conceded a single time, tormenting opponents with their prolific, fast-paced attacking football.

But they will now face their biggest challenge against the hosts, Thailand. Crispin Chhetri has to be perfect with his set-up and tactics, needing his players to maintain a really sturdy and unbreakable shape to frustrate the hosts.

He will also need his players to be clinical and decisive with their attacking patterns and expose Thailand’s defensive vulnerability. The Blue Tigresses would be able to send a statement of intent to the entirety of Asian Football by defeating a prominent side like Thailand to qualify for the Women’s Asian Cup.

A loss, however, would be utterly heartbreaking and another setback to their hopes of playing major tournaments.

Team News

Crispin Chhetri will have a fully fit squad available at his disposal for his match. All his players are fit and also free from suspensions.

Futoshi Ikeda will also have a fully available Thailand women’s side for this crucial match.

Head-to-Head Record

• Matches Played – 2
• Thailand wins – 2
• India wins – 0
• Draws – 0

Probable Lineups

Thailand (4-2-3-1)

Tifany Sornpao (GK), Kanjananaporn Saenkhun, Supapron Intaraprsit, Natcha Kaewanta, Panittha Jeeratanapavibul, Rhianne Rush, Nutwadee Pramnak, Jiraporn Mongkoldee, Ploychompoo Somnuek, Karnjanatha Phomsri, Saowalak Pengngam

India (4-2-3-1)

Elangbam Panthoi (GK), Sanju, Nirmala Devi, Shilky Devi, Martina Thokchom, Anju Tamang, Sangita Basfore, Dangmei Grace, Rimpa Haldar, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa

Also Read: Bangladesh women’s football team qualify for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 for first time in history

Players to Watch

Saowalak Pengngam (Thailand)

Saowalaka Pengngam will need to lead from the front to inspire her Thailand side to a prominent win over India in this decisive qualifier. She has had a pretty impressive outing so far in Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, scoring three goals in as many games and making a decisive impact in multiple games.

Pengngam will, however, need to reserve her best for this final qualifier and help her side torment the Indian backline. She will need to take energy from the fans to produce an explosive performance where she constantly harasses the defenders with her movement and also creates big chances.

Pengngam will, however, mostly be tasked to get to the end of chances and finish them off ruthlessly to guide her side to a win.

Manisha Kalyan (India)

Manisha Kalyan is the Indian player with the most high-level experience to thrive in these pressure scenarios. The PAOK winger has already played at a major continental championship in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and dreams of leading India in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

To achieve that dream, however, she needs to produce the performance of her international career against Thailand.

The odds will be firmly stacked against Manisha, which means she must tap into her fighting spirit to silence the Thai crowd. She will need to be clever with her movement to get into the empty spaces and be accurate with her final passes to help teammates.

Manisha will also need to be decisive with her forward movement and bang on with her finishing to help India get a famous result.

Did you know?

• India and Thailand have both scored the most goals in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers with 22 goals.
• Thailand are yet to concede a goal in their meetings against India, scoring 20 goals against the Blue Tigresses.
• India have kept clean sheets in their last three straight games, their best consecutive shutouts under Crispin Chhetri.

Telecast Details

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifier between Thailand and India will take place on Saturday, 5 July at the 700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai. It will kick off at 6 PM IST. The match will be shown on the Changsuek YouTube channel and on the Thai Women’s Football Facebook Page.

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