Exclusive: India Women's Football Team to play Russia in twin friendlies in October
The Blue Tigresses sit in the 69th spot in the latest FIFA Rankings.
The Indian Women’s Football Team are set to return to action in October, with the Blue Tigresses set to face Russia in a two-match friendly series. They will take on Russia on October 8 and October 11 in Kolkata after the Indian men’s team’s friendlies against Brazil and Uruguay on October 3rd and 6th.
Khel Now understands that AIFF are in the final stage of finalising these games. The national camp will begin in Kolkata on September 16, as they take their time to prepare for the fixtures.
The Blue Tigresses have already featured in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the FIFA Women’s Series in Kenya and the SAFF Women’s Championship this year. The upcoming friendlies will therefore offer them another chance to build momentum and gain international experience.
India lifted SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 title
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The SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 saw India return to the summit of South Asian football. Playing on home soil in Goa, the Blue Tigresses ended a seven-year wait for the title by beating Bangladesh 3-1 in the final.
The victory secured India’s sixth SAFF Women’s Championship title and capped an impressive unbeaten campaign. The Blue Tigresses opened their tournament with an emphatic 11-0 win over Maldives before defeating defending champions Bangladesh 3-0 to top Group B.
The knockout stage was tougher, but the Blue Tigresses edged Bhutan 1-0 in the semi-final through a Sanfida Nongrum strike. In the final, Pyari Xaxa opened the scoring before Bangladesh equalised. Nongrum restored India’s lead, while Lynda Kom Serto sealed a 3-1 victory.
They finished the tournament with 18 goals scored and just one conceded throughout the competition.
Also Read: East Bengal FC drawn in Group B of AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27
Mixed results across 2026 for the Blue Tigresses
The Blue Tigresses also competed in the FIFA Women’s Series in Kenya, where they finished third. After losing to the hosts in their opening match, the Blue Tigresses bounced back by defeating Malawi 3-2 in the third-place playoff.
Earlier, they featured in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia. They lost all three group matches against Japan, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam and failed to progress.
The heaviest defeat came against Japan, who won 11-0. However, Manisha Kalyan produced a memorable moment by scoring a stunning long-range free-kick against Chinese Taipei.
With the Russia friendlies now confirmed, the Blue Tigresses will look to build on their SAFF triumph and end 2026 on a positive note.
When will the Indian women’s football team play next?
India’s next confirmed fixtures are against Russia on October 8 and October 11, 2026.
When will India Women’s camp begin?
The Indian women’s team camp will begin in Kolkata on September 16, 2026.
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