India U17 Women's Squad Named for AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers
Head coach Joakim Alexandersson has named a 23-player squad for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
India's U17 women's national team head coach Joakim Alexandersson has announced his 23-player squad for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers. The team, aiming for historic back-to-back Asian Cup qualifications, will open its campaign against Iraq on October 5, 2026, at the MP Selayang Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Joakim Alexandersson revealed his 23-player squad for the upcoming qualifier matches. The All India Football Federation made the announcement from New Delhi on October 1. The squad includes 11 players who featured in the previous edition, where India reached the quarter-finals. The team is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on October 2 for the centralized qualifiers.
The preparatory journey began with a camp in Bengaluru in July. Last month, the team traveled to Tashkent for two friendlies against Uzbekistan, both ending in goalless draws. Upon returning, preparations continued in Goa, where they hosted two closed-door friendlies against the Philippines, recording a 2-4 defeat followed by a 2-0 victory.
Qualifier format and group stage
India have been drawn into Group E alongside Iraq, Syria, and hosts Malaysia. All matches will be played at the MP Selayang Stadium in a single round-robin format from October 5 to 11. A total of 30 teams are participating across eight groups, with only the winner of each group advancing to the final tournament in China.
India's group stage schedule is as follows:
| Opponent | Date | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Iraq | October 5 | 1:30 PM |
| Syria | October 8 | 1:30 PM |
| Malaysia | October 11 | 6:30 PM |
The squad
The selected 23-player squad, assisted by coaches Anthony Andrews, Nivetha Ramadoss, and goalkeeping coach Fysal K Bapu, blends experience with new talent. Out of his 23 players, 11 Young Tigresses who played for India in the previous edition will be returning.
The full squad is:
Path to the 2027 World Cup
The ultimate prize extends beyond the Asian Cup. The top four teams at the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in China will earn qualification for the U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. India seeks to build on their 2026 performance, where they qualified by topping a group against Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, then won one group game against Lebanon to reach the quarter-finals before a 3-0 loss to China.
For the 2027 edition, four teams, DPR Korea, Japan, Australia, and hosts China, have already secured their spots as top finishers from 2026. The remaining eight slots will be filled by the winners of the qualification groups, which include nations like Korea Republic, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines across seven other sections.
India will open their campaign against Iraq on October 5, 2026, at 1:30 PM IST in Selayang, Malaysia.
