Suzhou (China), May 1 (IANS) Saturday will mark another landmark moment of the year for Indian women’s football as the U17 national team kicks off their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 campaign against Australia.

It will be India’s first appearance at the U17 Women’s Asian Cup since 2005, marking the end of a 21-year wait at this level. More significantly, it completes a rare and historic sequence in 2026, with India's third women's Asian Cup appearance following the senior team and the U20 side.

Head coach Pamela Conti underlined the mood in the camp as the team stands on the cusp of their opening match. “I think everyone is excited and really eager for it to start,” she said. “We’ve been working for a long time, for many months. But it’s always a great feeling to play in important international tournaments, especially representing a big, big country like India. So yes, we are ready for it,” she was quoted as saying by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

India’s journey to this stage saw a structured and continuous build-up. Since January, the Young Tigresses have been in camp for over three months, primarily based in Bengaluru, focusing on physical, technical, and tactical development.

They arrive in China after a series of competitive tours – winning the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in February, securing two victories against fellow Asian Cup qualifying side Myanmar in Yangon in March, and testing themselves in the three friendly games against Russia in Sochi in April. "For the first few days, it rained a lot, and it got cold,” Conti said about their arrival in Suzhou. “But now the sun is out. I think the players just needed to make some final adjustments, because we have already done a lot of work in India and in Russia. Now we are ready,” she said.

The focus, lately, has been on the details, explained the Italian coach, who previously led Venezuela to the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup. “We've mostly been working on the tactical side, because the physical work had already been done earlier. We didn't want to push too hard physically in these last few days, so that the players don’t feel too heavy.”

The tournament in Suzhou has brought all 12 participating teams together in a single environment, housed at the Taimei Xiangguli Hotel and training and playing at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre – a facility with eight pitches (three match pitches and five training grounds) – located just a stone's throw away."

"Honestly, it's been perfect,” she said. “Today, it's beautiful with plenty of sunshine. Hopefully, tomorrow has the same temperature, because it’s ideal for playing," Conti said on the eve of the opener.

For the players, this tournament represents both a first experience and a defining opportunity. The journey didn't just begin in January, but covered a better part of 2025 when the majority of this batch of players showcased excellent performances in the Asian Cup qualifiers, SAFF U17 Women's Championship, and also the IWL 2 with the Indian Arrows Women Juniors.

Reflecting on everything, defender Abhista Basnett said, “We are finally here after preparing for so many months. We are just one day away from our first game. “The feeling is very good. We are excited, and we will give our all. We have trained a lot over the past few months and worked very hard, so we are going to give our all out," she added.

The magnitude of the occasion is not lost on the squad, but it's more about excitement than nervousness. “Yes, it feels very different because this is our first time at the Asian Cup. It’s been 21 years for India, so it’s a new feeling. We are excited because we are playing against top teams not just in Asia, but in the world," said Abhista, who even played an exhibition match with the Indian senior national team in her home state of Sikkim last year.

Sharing her thoughts on Australia, she said, “As we know, they are a very physical team, so we need to prepare ourselves accordingly. But we are not any less. We are going to give our all and fight against them.”

India’s recent friendlies against Russia offered insights to the Young Tigresses on dealing with quality opposition. “In Russia, we learned a lot. They were also a very physical team, so we understood how to play against such opponents. Even though we lost the games, we learned a lot, and those friendlies will help us in this Asian Cup."

For Abhista, the journey has also included personal milestones, like being named captain in the third friendly in Russia, despite being the youngest member of the squad at just 15.

“It was the first time for me wearing the captain's armband, and it felt special. It was a different feeling to lead the team from the front," said Abhista, who would still be eligible for the next two U17 Asian Cups.

The Young Tigresses are also drawing inspiration from the senior and U20 teams, both of whom ended two-decade-long waits to feature in continental competitions earlier this year.

“We also watched the senior and the U20 team play. Both teams didn’t give up, even after losing their first and second games. That is something we can learn from them. Now it’s our chance to show our courage and the hard work we have put in. The senior and U20 teams both played well but didn’t qualify. I hope we can do that,” she said.

Midfielder Julan Nongmaithem, who captained India in both qualifying matches in Kyrgyzstan last year and also scored a last-minute winning goal against the hosts, echoed that sense of readiness and responsibility.

“It feels really good to be here. We have been preparing for this for a long time, and now, finally, the day has come. We have to prove why we trained so hard. I’m also very excited because this is my first time playing in a big tournament like the Asian Cup. It’s a great opportunity, and we want to show that we are capable of performing at this level," added Julan, who is the only member of the U17 squad with a senior cap to her name, earned in a friendly against Nepal last year.

“Our training has been going well. Right now, we are fully focused on how to win. The coaches and support staff are helping us a lot, and we are really enjoying the training sessions. The facilities here in Suzhou are very good. The ground, the gym, everything is excellent. We are getting great preparation," the 15-year-old said.

“Australia is a very tough team, but we also want to play tough football. The coach has told us to go in strong, make tackles, and play without fear. We have to be brave and give our 100 per cent,” shared Julan.

--IANS

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