India qualify for AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 after beating Thailand

When Sangita Basfore, the spunky Indian midfielder said a week back that their dream was to raise the bar beyond Asian Cup and play the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, one quietly admired her aspiration. She walked the talk when on Saturday evening the East Bengal FC midfielder struck twice for a gritty 2-1 victory over hosts Thailand to seal qualification for the Blue Tigresses in the  AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026.

It was a happening night for Indian sports fans on Saturday – what with the India women’s team making history by making the cut through the qualifiers, javelin ace Neeraj Chopra winning his own signature event in Bengaluru while Shubman Gill & Co ruled the roost at another part of the globe in cricket. And yes, sprinter Avinash Kujur became the fastest Indian when he shattered the 100m national record with a timing of 10.18 sec in Dromia, Greece.

However, what makes the women’s effort remarkable is that it’s very rare that Indian football makes news for the right reasons these days. While they had maintained an all-win record in their group matches, the higher ranked Thailand at their fortress of Chiang Mai Stadium – was always meant to be their toughest challenge with only the group topper going though. The match was more like a play-off, with teams locked on same points and an identical goal-difference, but Indians held their nerves.

Jubilant Indian team after qualifying on Saturday Women’s World Cup: India, Pakistan to face off on 5 October in Colombo

India’s last appearance at the continental showpiece came in 2003 at a time when there were no qualifiers. They again received a spot as host nation in 2022, but were forced to withdraw due to a Covid outbreak in the camp – a fiasco of sorts often attributed to the AIFF failing to impose the bubble guidelines with a strong hand.

‘’Missing the Asian Cup in 2022 was a big regret (she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Even my teammates didn’t get to play because of the pandemic. We had worked so hard during the pandemic to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, but it wasn’t to be. That regret still lingers,’’ Sangita, now 28 and on the last leg of her career, told AIFF.com.

The tears of joy from her as the entire team went delirious after the win was only understandable. The mood among the East Bengal club officials was also upbeat as at least five of their players, including Sangita, was a part of the national squad in Thailand – a just reward of the team winning the last Indian Women’s League.

East Bengal officials elated

Speaking to National Herald, club supremo Debabrata Sarkar said: ‘’It’s a moment of pride for us to have contributed in some way to the national cause. It’s not a secret that as to how difficult it is to nurture a women’s team due to lack of sponsors but this result makes us all the more determined for our future plans.’’

 A jubilant Sangita reiterated on Saturday: ‘’Our target is the World Cup. The AFC qualifiers feel like World Cup qualifiers. We all want to qualify for Brazil.’’

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 will serve as the qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 with the top six teams from the tournament securing their berths in the 32-team World Cup.