With a week left before the commencement of the AFC Women’s Asia Cup 2026, India’s women’s national football team midfielder Sangita Basfore reveals the team is eying the FIFA World Cup qualification. The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held from March 1 to 21 in Australia, and the Blue Tigresses have their tournament opener against Vietnam to be played on March 4.
Basfore had played a pivotal role in the Blue Tigresses’ qualification match victory against Thailand, played last year, in which she scored two crucial goals. In a press release by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Sangita talks about the team’s plans ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 and the preparation for the first game.
She said, “From the start of the Asian Cup qualifiers last year, the whole team has had one thought, which is to qualify for the World Cup. But that is just one step. Right now, our time has come, and our first match is on March 4, so all our focus is on that. If we win that, our confidence will grow, and the same motivation will continue for the rest of the games. Everyone in the team is clear about taking it game by game.”
She further went on to talk about the Turkiye friendlies match serving the Blue Tigresses with major training success before the tournament. She also mentions that the Indian team’s early arrival has helped them adapt to the changing conditions.
“It has been very important. We have been together for 45 days. Earlier, we were preparing in Turkey, where it was very cold, but here the weather is completely different, much warmer. So coming early gave us a very good opportunity to adapt. At the start, it was difficult, but now we are getting used to the heat and playing better. So it was a good decision to come early and get time to adjust to the conditions,” she added
For a change, the Blue Tigresses will have a new leadership role, taken by Amelia Valverde as the head coach of the team for their campaign at the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. Since their disappearance from the 2009 FIFA Rankings, the Indian women’s national team returns with a chance to create history and make use of the 17 years of hardwork that went without any major tournaments.
