The Blue Tigresses will have their new coach ahead of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup 2026, scheduled in Australia in the month of March. 39-year-old Amelia Valverde from Costa Rica will take the lead ahead of joining India’s senior women’s national football team. Valverde led the Costa Rica team in FIFA World Cups and has now landed her to be part of the Indian soil. She will be influential in Blue Tigresses’ entry into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
With eight years of international coaching experience, Valverde was named the head coach of the Los Ticos (Costa Rica’s senior national women’s team). Under her leadership, Costa Rica won their first-ever women’s World Cup in 2015, followed by a gold and silver medal in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Central Asian Games, respectively, and podium finishes in the Pan American events. Meanwhile, in 2022, the team finished in fourth place behind USA, Canada, and Jamaica at the CONCACAF Championship.
Besides that, she also coached Rayadas de Monterrey in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil from December 2023 to September 2025. Under Valverde, the team won back-to-back titles, including the 2024 Clausura and Apertura Championships. Valverde’s 2026 season will see her as part of the All-India Football Federation for a short period of time, that too in support of India’s women’s national team. She will be working alongside current head coach Crispin Chhetri.
Using her experience in the team, Valverde will help the Blue Tigresses to prepare them for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In a recent interview, Chettri revealed that the Blue Tigresses are looking in good shape to win the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. He and the team will be travelling to Turkey for three friendlies scheduled against three European clubs from January 18 to 23.
The 2026 AFC Women’s Asia Cup is set to begin from March 1 to 21, with Australia as the host of the tournament. India women’s team is placed in Group C alongside Japan, Vietnam, and Chinese Taipei. The Blue Tigresses have earned their qualification in the tournament after defeating Uzbekistan in the Group G qualifiers match played on October 17, 2025. The Indian women’s team had last featured in the 2005 edition of the Asia Women’s Cup and as one of the 11 teams that made a direct entry into the event.
