India senior ladies team coach Crispin Chettri labeled the Blue Tigresses’ Group in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 an ‘interesting and difficult’.
India was placed on Tuesday in group C with Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei during the trekking ceremony in the town hall of Sydney.
«I think we have a very interesting, and at the same time a difficult group. Japan is the cream of Asia. Vietnam and Chinese Taipei are good sides, and we can compete with them and strive for favorable results,» Chettri told Australia from Australia after the draw.
Midfielder Sangita Basfore had the privilege of being one of the drawing assistants. «The whole experience on the draw here in Sydney was really special for me. I got to see the trophy and even touched it, which felt great. I got goosebumps in the stage. The biggest highlight was to visit Australia Stadium in Sydney. The moment I got on that ground felt like the game was about to start,» she said.
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«We have played against Vietnam, Chinese Taipei and Japan in the past, so I know from experience that we can certainly compete with them. At no time I felt that we could not beat them. We could not win before because of some mistakes, but we will work on this.
Although the Asian stage is great, the Blue Tigresses have strongly focused on scaling an even higher peak – FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification. And with the AFC Women’s Asian Cup that offers six direct and two indirect slots for the World Cup 2027 in Brazil, this is an opportunity they want to understand with both hands.
With 218 days to go for the opening match of India against Vietnam in the rectangular stadium of Perth, the groundwork has already begun and counts every day.
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«Now that we know our opponents, we have to choose our friendly competitions wisely and prepare well. Stay together as a unity and hard work in the camps will help us a long way to prepare for the best teams in Asia and the qualification of the World Cup,» said Crispin.
Sangita voegde eraan toe: «Met de tijd die we nu hebben, zouden we wedstrijden moeten spelen tegen hoger gerangschikte teams, dus we kunnen klaar zijn voor volgend maart. Wanneer we tegenover die drie teams in de Aziatische Cup worden geconfronteerd, zal het gemakkelijker voor ons zijn om hun spel te beoordelen en met vertrouwen te spelen. Blootstelling aan sterkere teams zal een geweldige kans zijn en zullen we een geweldige kans zijn en zullen we een grote kans opbouwt en het toernooid go.»
