India’s senior women’s football team ended their three-day Türkiye friendlies campaign with a win. On January 24, 2026, the Blue Tigresses defeated Swiss club FC Schlieren 2-1 at the Emirhan Sport Center in Manavgat, Türkiye. This match also marked the team’s first win under their new head coach, Amelia Valverde, who joined the squad in the camp.
In the 19th minute of the game, India took the lead from Anju Tamang, who made sure that her team got ahead in the game. Maintaining that momentum in the first half, the Blue Tigresses entered the game after the break with discipline and control. They continue to bring in more positive chances and add in scores against the opponent. The hard work resulted in the 81st minute with India adding its second score from Grace Dangmei.
Later, FC Schlieren tried to pull up themselves against the Indian team and added their first score through a late penalty in the 85th minute, but failed to continue their dominance as their attempt was easily closed down by the Blue Tigresses in the final moments to take the win.
India’s senior women’s football team’s victory in Türkiye serves a big part of their ongoing preparations for the upcoming 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The tournament is scheduled to be held from March 1 to 21 in Australia. India earned their maiden qualification for the Women’s Asia Cup after finishing as the top team of Group B during the tournament’s qualifiers held back in July 2025. They have been placed in Group C alongside Japan, Vietnam, and Chinese Taipei.
The Blue Tigresses have added a major boost to their team with Valverde joining the team as the new head coach ahead of Asia Cup. As the team prepares under her, the positive end result in the Turkey friendly match is a testament to the team’s growth that has shown some development with Valverde’s addition.
The 29-member senior squad of Blue Tigresses began their Türkiye friendlies tour with a 0-2 loss against FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv. Their next scheduled match, against Swiss club FC Zürich Frauen on January 21, was cancelled. Another planned fixture against Turkish club Antalya Akra Spor Kulübü, set for Wednesday, was also cancelled. The team concluded their campaign with a 2-1 win over Swiss club FC Schlieren, marking their first win of the tournament and their second overall during the friendly camp.
