Overview

• India will face Mongolia on June 23 in Chiang Mai to kick off its AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 qualifying campaign.
• The squad trained in Bengaluru since early May and arrived in northern Thailand on June 16 to acclimatize to humid conditions and time changes.
• Two friendly losses to Uzbekistan on May 30 and June 3 served as opportunities for Chettri to experiment with midfield lineups and sharpen set-piece routines.
• With an average age of 23.6 years, the team balances young debutants such as goalkeeper Monalisha Moirangthem with seasoned internationals like Grace Dangmei.
• Only the group winner will progress to the March 2026 finals in Australia, after which India will play Timor Leste on June 29, Iraq on July 2 and hosts Thailand on July 5.