Ninety minutes separate the India U17 women’s national team from a second successive appearance at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, as the Young Tigresses take on hosts Malaysia in their decisive final Group E qualifier at the MP Selayang Stadium in Selayang on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 18:30 IST. The match will be streamed live on the FAMTV Malaysia YouTube channel.
India and Malaysia enter the final match level on six points after winning both their opening fixtures. The Young Tigresses lead the group on goal difference, having scored 16 goals without conceding, while Malaysia have scored five and are also yet to concede.
The equation is clear. Avoiding defeat will be enough for Joakim Alexandersson’s side to qualify as group winners. If the teams finish level on points following a draw, their head-to-head record will remain equal, after which India’s superior overall goal difference will place them top. Malaysia, meanwhile, need a victory to overtake India and claim the only qualifying spot available from the group.
Only the eight group winners from the Qualifiers will advance to the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027, joining defending champions DPR Korea, Japan, Australia and hosts China PR, who qualified directly after finishing in the top four in the 2026 edition. India reached the quarter-finals and made history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
Now, the Young Tigresses have a chance to reach another milestone — becoming the first-ever Indian side to qualify for back-to-back Women’s Asian Cups in any age category, including senior.
Despite knowing that one point would complete the job, Alexandersson has no intention of sending his players out with that mindset. “We have to go into the game trying to win. With young players, it is difficult to tell them that a draw will be enough. We will try to win the game, but at the same time, we have to attack with a little more sense and find the right balance.”
India have put themselves in the favourable position through two contrasting victories. They opened their campaign with a record-breaking 14-0 win against Iraq, the biggest victory by an India U17 women’s team, before overcoming a more compact Syria side 2-0 on Thursday.
Malaysia began with a 1-0 victory over Syria and followed it up with a 4-0 win over Iraq, setting up Sunday’s straight contest for the group’s solitary ticket to China.
Anushka Kumari has led India’s charge in front of goal, scoring five times against Iraq before adding both goals against Syria. Her seven strikes make up nearly half of India’s tally in the qualifiers so far, but the forward was quick to place the credit on the collective effort.
“It feels very good to score seven goals, but it is not only about me. My teammates are creating the chances and giving me the passes, and I am trying to convert them. It is a team effort. We have all been working very hard, and I am very thankful to the team and to the coach for their support,” said the 15-year-old.
“We could have scored more against Syria, but we were not clinical enough. We have to improve, move our attacks faster and move the ball quicker to unsettle the opponent. That is something we need to do against Malaysia,” Anushka said.
Alexandersson gave his players a lighter schedule on Friday following a run of regular training sessions and two matches in four days. The Young Tigresses underwent activation and light strength work in the morning before spending around half an hour in the pool.
The focus then shifted completely towards Malaysia. The Young Tigresses will hold their official training session under floodlights on Saturday evening. “I made the decision to give them some rest because I felt we had been training and playing games every day. Before the last game, I felt it was important to save some energy,” Alexandersson said.
“Now the focus is completely on the Malaysia match. We will go through how we want to defend against them, where their weaknesses are, how we can punish them and who their most important players are. These are the things we want to make clear to the players.”
India also have the benefit of experience within the squad. 13 players were part of the previous U17 cycle that qualified for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026.
“Obviously, it helps a lot,” Alexandersson said of the returning players, including top-scorer Anushka Kumari, captain Abhista Basnett and goalkeeper Munni. “They know what it is like to play these kinds of games. Most of them are now better at communicating, and they try to support the new players in a good way. The way they play also brings a certain calmness to the whole team, and that is very important.”
Six points, 16 goals and two clean sheets have made India the statistical favourites going into the group decider, but Alexandersson has repeatedly reminded his players that the work of the first two matches will count for little if their standards drop in the final one.
“Even if people outside think we are the favourites, we must always stay humble, whoever we are facing. In every sport, you have to be humble and respect the opponent,” the Swede said.
“Of course, self-confidence is important. You need to believe in what you are doing, but you also have to do the hard work in the games. As long as we stick to our principles and try to work harder than the opponent, I feel we have a good advantage.”
