India's road to the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 will officially begin on Monday, June 23, 2025, 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, according to the offic
India last made it to the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2003. And when they hosted the tournament in 2022, a COVID outbreak in the team meant that India had to withdraw after only the first game and the results were declared void, as per the AIFF official website..
The final squad of 23 players for the Qualifiers will be confirmed before the first match. The Blue Tigresses are placed in Group B of the Qualifiers, where they will face Mongolia (June 23), Timor Leste (June 29), Iraq (July 2) and hosts Thailand (July 5)
While Manisha and Malavika made their India debuts as part of the starting XI, Priyadharshini got her first cap when she replaced Dangmei Grace in the 74th minute.
India and Uzbekistan are no strangers when it comes to women's football. The two sides are preparing to face each other for the 14th time, as they play a FIFA International Friendly on Friday, May 30.
Coached by Crispin Chettri, the Blue Tigresses, since May 1, have been camping at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, where they will play the two friendlies against Uzbekistan on May 30 and June 3.
The Blue Tigresses had a special visitor at their camp in Bengaluru - senior men's national team captain Sunil Chhetri, as per the AIFF official website.
All zoos and safari parks in Uttar Pradesh have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure after a tigress named 'Shakti' died of Avian influenza at the Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur.
A tigress and her cubs have wandered out of the Ranthambore National Park and into the agricultural fields of Kutalpura Maliyan village, causing panic among locals. The tigress and her cubs were spotted roaming in the fields, while another tiger was seen moving near the Sawai Palace hotel.
The Uttar Pradesh government ordered the closure of Etawah Lion Safari and zoos in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur for seven days after bird flu was confirmed in a dead tigress at Gorakhpur's Shaheed Ashfaqulla Khan Zoological Park.
The Senior India Women's National Team will play two FIFA Women's International Friendly matches against Uzbekistan in the May/June 2025 International Window, as per the official website of AIFF.