New Delhi, April 10 – Around 32 days after their AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign ended, the Indian women’s national team will begin a new phase with renewed determination at the FIFA Series 2026 in Kenya. The Blue Tigresses will face the hosts in their opening match at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday.
The players are still disappointed about not reaching the knockout stage, but they are aware that this is a new opportunity, and that is their main focus for the four-team friendly tournament.
Crispin Chettri, the head coach of the Blue Tigresses, emphasized, "The goal is to start building for the future, specifically for the 2029 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and the 2031 World Cup qualifiers. We need to start now."
Chettri led India to qualify for the Asian Cup last year, and he was Amelia Valverde’s assistant during the final tournament. "I believe everyone expected us to reach the quarter-finals at least. The players also had that expectation, so I think they are still in a rebuilding phase," said Chettri.
India arrived in Nairobi on April 7, and they have had two training sessions so far, with another scheduled for Friday before the match against the hosts. "Mentally, the players are much more prepared now. They are focused on preparing for the next game when they train," Chettri added.
The conditions in Kenya are also helping the team’s preparations. "Yes, the training conditions are good. The weather is pleasant, around 26 to 27 degrees. It's a great weather for training," said Chettri, reflecting on the first two sessions in Kenya.
The FIFA Series, featuring India, Kenya, Malawi, and Australia, offers a competitive structure despite being a friendly tournament. India will face Kenya in the second semi-final, while Australia will play against Malawi in the first at 16:30 IST. The winners will meet in the final, and the losing teams will play a third-place match on April 15. This is the first time the Indian women’s national team will play a match in Africa.
Beyond the results, the tournament also serves a strategic purpose, which is preparation for the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship, which will be held in Goa from May 25. Squad selection has therefore been shaped with both immediate readiness and long-term development in mind.
Chettri has opted for a younger, evolving group, with several senior players unavailable due to injury and rehabilitation. The average age of the 22-member squad to Kenya is only 22.8 years. Out of the 26 players who were part of the Asian Cup, 17 have been selected by Chettri for this window. The remaining players include goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam and defender Sweety Devi Ngangbam, who are recovering from injuries sustained in the last Asian Cup match against Chinese Taipei, while defenders Sanju, midfielder Sangita Basfore, and forwards Grace Dangmei and Soumya Guguloth have been rested.
Meanwhile, attacker Manisha, who signed for Liga Femenina FPF (Peruvian Women’s League) club Alianza Lima earlier this year, has also been given time. Chettri said, "Since her league in Peru has started, I advised her to stay there and focus on breaking into the starting XI at her club, Alianza Lima. She has a busy schedule with a lot of travel, so more time with her club will help her," Chettri explained.
The absence of established players has opened the door for emerging talent, aligning with Chettri’s broader vision of expanding India’s player base as they begin preparations for the next cycle of qualification. The 2026 Asian Cup was the last to offer World Cup-qualifying slots. For the 2031 edition, AFC will organize a standalone qualifying tournament for the World Cup, broadening the scope of competitive matches for women's national teams on the continent.
“We know what the senior players can do, so this is a good opportunity to look at younger players like Kaviya Pakkirisamy, Jasoda Munda, and Malavika P, among others. Most of our players are in the 22-23 age bracket, so they can serve the national team for at least six to seven years. We want to build a larger pool of around 40 competitive players, including talents from the U20 and U17 teams."
“That is why we have brought in more junior players, to create a system, give them exposure, and prepare properly for the SAFF Women's Championship.
“We also had only three days of training before the first game, so I needed fit players. Many players are coming from clubs like Sethu, Sribhumi, and East Bengal, who are actively training. Also, players from police teams are with us, as the Police meet (B.N. Mullick Memorial All India Police Football Championship) took place recently in Hyderabad.”
On the pitch, India are preparing for a different kind of challenge. Unlike the technical and tactical demands posed by most East and Southeast Asian opponents, Kenya brings a more physical dimension to the game.
“The FIFA Series will test our physical abilities. Teams like Kenya and Malawi may be lower in FIFA rankings (134th and 153rd), but rankings can be misleading. Kenya, for example, has players playing in the USA and Europe," said Chettri.
“They are quick, strong, and very physical. It will be a different challenge compared to teams like Japan, Korea, Thailand, or Vietnam, whom we've played within the last year. Our job is to handle that physicality. It will be an interesting match-up. And if we win, we may get to face Australia, who were finalists at the Asian Cup. So this is a great opportunity.”
“We qualified for the Asian Cup after a long time, and we want to make that a habit. SAFF can serve as preparation for future Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. In the short term, we need to improve our ranking by winning matches. That will help us get better positions in the pots and relatively easier opponents in qualifiers.”
Integral to that long-term vision is the integration of youth players into the senior setup. Chettri closely followed the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup, where India finished their campaign with a win over Chinese Taipei on Wednesday. The Young Tigresses head coach opined that many of his U20 players may soon be knocking on the doors of the senior team.
“I think Joakim is right. Before the Asian Cup qualifiers last year, when we were in Bengaluru, we were in constant communication about the U20 players. We even used many junior players – like Shubhangi (Singh), Thoibisana (Chanu Toijam), Cindy (Colney), and Sulanjana (Raul) – in the preparation camp, and Monalisha (Devi Moirangthem) was already part of the senior team.
“There are several promising players not just in the U20s, but also in the U17s. From the U20 group, I believe three to four players will soon challenge for places, not just in the squad, but even in the starting XI.”
As India step onto the pitch in Nairobi, the objective apart from getting results will be to recalibrate, test depth, and lay the groundwork for a cycle that leads through the SAFF Championship, Asian Cup, and World Cup qualifiers.