New Delhi [India], August 28 (ANI): The India U17 women’s team will continue their preparations for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers with two friendly matches against Philippines in Goa on September 26 and 29, 2026.
According to a media release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the venue for both matches will be confirmed at a later date. It will mark only the second meeting between India and Philippines at this age level. The Southeast Asians won 2-0 in the AFC U16 Women’s Championship 2017 Qualifiers.
Coached by Joakim Alexandersson, India are currently in Tashkent to play two friendlies against hosts Uzbekistan. The first one ended goalless on Thursday, while the second will take place on Sunday. The games against Philippines will be the Young Tigresses’ last friendly outings before they travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, which will be held from October 5 to 11. India will open their campaign against Iraq on October 5, before facing Syria on October 8 and hosting Malaysia on October 11.
Following their historic first-ever appearance in the knockout stage of the previous edition in Suzhou, China, the Young Tigresses will be aiming to qualify for back-to-back AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cups for the first time.
Earlier, the AIFF appointed Anthony Andrews as the assistant coach of the India U17 women’s national team, with Joakim Alexandersson continuing as the head coach.
Andrews, who also serves as head coach of East Bengal FC, will take up the role on a dual basis with the club and country.
The current Indian Women’s League (IWL) champion with East Bengal, Andrews is the most successful coach in the league’s history, having won four titles. He guided Gokulam Kerala FC to consecutive IWL titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before leading East Bengal FC to back-to-back championships in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He is the only coach to have won multiple IWL trophies. (ANI)
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