Chiang Mai (Thailand), June 22 (IANS) India’s road to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 will officially begin on Monday, when the Blue Tigresses take on Mongolia in the opening match of Group B of the Qualifiers at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium.

India, twice runners-up of the erstwhile Asian Women’s Championship in the 1980s, are aiming to make it to the continent’s top women’s competition for the 10th time and the first via the qualifiers’ route. After Mongolia, India will take on Timor Leste on June 29, Iraq on July 2, and hosts Thailand on July 5 in Chiang Mai. Only the group winners will qualify for the 12-team AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026, which will serve as the qualifier for Asian teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

At the pre-tournament press conference, India coach Crispin Chettri said, “First of all, I would like to thank the Football Association of Thailand for hosting us here. We arrived here earlier this week, and you have been so welcoming. Before that, we were preparing for the qualifiers in India (Bengaluru). We got a chance to play against Uzbekistan in two friendlies.

“We have a very interesting group with Thailand, Iraq, Mongolia and Timor-Leste. I think it will be a very good competition for everyone. Women’s football is progressing in Asia, and everyone, the coaches and the players, are here to learn.

“For Thailand, it’s a privilege to play at home. It’s very encouraging for all of us to be here. For us, India, it’s a big challenge. Competing with teams like Iraq, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, and especially, Thailand. But we are focused on one match at a time, and are looking forward to the Mongolia match tomorrow (Monday),” Chettri added.

India, ranked 70th in the world, have never faced Mongolia before. The East Asian side only played their first official match in 2018, which was also the year they last won a competitive fixture – a 1-0 victory over Guam in the East Asian Women’s Championship. Currently ranked 126th, Mongolia haven’t played a tournament since November 2023 when they lost all three matches to Korea DPR (0-19), Hong Kong (0-6) and Northern Mariana Islands (3-4).

Ahead of leading the team back into competitive action after a year and a half, Mongolia coach Bayasgalangiin Garidmagnai, who is also the coach of their senior men’s national team, said, “The national team has trained really well, although we had some internal problems and only had about three weeks of training. We are a bit concerned about the heat as we are a team from a cold country.”

On the contrary, Chettri stated that the weather will not pose any issues for India. Although the conditions in Chiang Mai are more humid as compared to Bengaluru, the Blue Tigresses have acclimatised well in the northern Thai city.

“When it comes to the weather, I think India and Thailand are quite similar. We are used to the environment here now. We have come with a positive mindset. Although our team is in a transition phase, and we have come with very young players, our goal is to reach Australia,” said the Indian coach.

The match will be streamed live on Changsuek YouTube Channel and Thai Women’s Football Facebook Page.

–IANS

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