Indian women’s football is speaking a different language these days. Not of participation, but of purpose. As the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 approaches, the Indian camp is no longer framing the tournament as an arrival, it is being treated as a gateway. At the centre of this shift is Grace Dangmei, one of the most experienced attackers in the squad. Ahead of India’s opening match, Dangmei repeatedly returned to one sentence, measured, calm, and unembellished.
For a team that qualified for the Asian Cup on merit finishing top of their group, scoring 24 goals and conceding just once, the change in tone is unmistakable. The Asian Cup now offers a direct pathway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil. Reach the knockouts, and the dream becomes real.
India’s final preparation phase in Turkiye was intense and deliberately insular. While Dangmei scored decisive goals in friendlies, she is quick to shift attention away from individual performances.
“In the Turkiye trip, it was not just me. The entire team gave their best, in practice, in the gym, everywhere.” The message inside the dressing room has been consistent. “We are motivating each other that we should give our best and qualify for the World Cup. That is the motive for all of us.”
It is a theme that runs through every response she gives, progress built collectively, never individually.
The arrival of head coach Amelia Valverde earlier this year has added another layer of experience, particularly her exposure to World Cup environments. Dangmei is careful to frame the transition as an evolution rather than a reset.
“The team has been strong from the beginning. It’s not that one coach came and everything changed.” What has changed, she says, is clarity. “We have to stick to her plan. She is giving lots of energy and positive vibes. We have to convert that on the field.”
India open their campaign on March 4 in Perth against Vietnam women’s national football team, a side with recent World Cup experience. Any suggestion that the opener is India’s most “winnable” fixture is firmly rejected.
“They are a very good team. They are a World Cup team.” For Dangmei, the mindset is uncompromising. “For me, the first match will be like the last match of my life. For me, it is a do-or-die game.” The same approach extends to the entire group, which also includes Japan and Chinese Taipei.
India enters the tournament as the lowest-ranked side in the group, but with confidence built on results and preparation. Dangmei believes managing pressure will be as important as tactics.
Dangmei’s journey, from Dimdailong village in Manipur to international football, has been shaped by speed, resilience, and longevity. A former sprinter, she debuted for India in 2013 and remains a central figure more than a decade later.
Once the youngster watching senior players like Bala Devi from afar, she now plays the role of mentor. “Before that, football was just for fun. But the way they behaved, the way they played at the international level, it became my dream that one day I could be like them.”
Today, she passes that message forward. “We tell them not to be hyper. First observe, then play. This should be our dream. We have to work together and support each other.”
India’s return to the Asian Cup finals after more than two decades already marks progress. But inside the camp, the ambition stretches further. “Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup.” Not a slogan. Not a hope. Just a target, spoken quietly, and pursued relentlessly.
(Quotes sourced from The Bridge)
