India U17 Women Set For Philippines Friendlies In Goa Ahead Of Asian Cup Qualifiers

The India U17 women’s football team will play two international friendly matches against the Philippines in Goa on September 26 and 29 as part of its preparations for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said the venue for both matches will be announced later. The upcoming fixtures will mark only the second meeting between the two teams at this age-group level. In their previous encounter, the Philippines registered a 2-0 victory over India in the AFC U16 Women’s Championship 2017 Qualifiers.

Coached by Joakim Alexandersson, the Young Tigresses are currently in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for a two-match friendly series against the hosts. Their first match ended in a goalless draw, while the second is scheduled for Sunday.

The Philippines fixtures will be India's final preparatory matches before the team travels to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the qualifiers, scheduled from October 5 to 11.

India will begin their qualifying campaign against Iraq on October 5, followed by matches against Syria on October 8 and hosts Malaysia on October 11.

After making a historic first-ever appearance in the knockout stage of the previous edition in Suzhou, China, the Young Tigresses will now look to achieve another milestone by securing qualification for back-to-back AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cups for the first time.