India Women Football Team Qualifies for AFC Asian Cup for First T...

The India women national football team qualified for the AFC Women Asian Cup for the first time in 16 years, sealing their berth in the tournament after defeating Nepal 3-0 in the final qualifying match in Kathmandu. Dangmei Grace, the captain from Manipur, scored twice and set up the third goal for Anju Tamang in what the All India Football Federation described as a defining result in the modern era of the Indian women game. The squad has been transformed by a three-year collaboration between the AIFF and the German Football Association that overhauled coaching methods, physical conditioning, and data analytics applied to player selection. The qualification came amid a surge in grassroots women football participation catalysed by the FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup India hosted on home soil last year.