Pathum Thani (Thailand), April 1 The Indian Under-20 women's team hopes to secure a coveted spot in the FIFA World Cup when they begin their AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup campaign against six-time champions Japan here on Thursday.
Their senior counterparts were eliminated in the group stage of the Asian Cup last month, ending their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup as they finished at the bottom of the group.
However, the U-20 team, coached by the astute tactician Joakim Alexandersson, has arrived with confidence.
The Young Tigresses have returned to the continental stage after a 20-year gap, having qualified for the tournament by topping their group in the qualifiers last August.
Their previous appearance was in 2006, where they exited in the group stage.
For India, this marks the beginning of a challenging but significant campaign, with a place in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland in 2026 on the line.
India are in a tough Group C alongside Japan, Australia (April 5), and Chinese Taipei (April 8). The top two teams, along with the two best third-placed sides across three groups, will advance to the quarter-finals, where a place in the Poland World Cup awaits the final four.
Head coach Alexandersson acknowledged the challenge.
"We are very much aware that we are new to this scene with the India team. We know we are facing tough opponents and we have respect for them," said the Swede.
India's preparations for the tournament have included friendly matches in Kazakhstan and a month-long training camp in Sweden.
Facing India in the opening match is one of the world's most formidable sides.
Japan, who are the record six-time champions of the U20 Asian Cup, arrive as one of the favorites. They were also world champions in 2018.
The match will be played at the Thammasat Stadium from 6.30 pm (IST) and will be streamed live on FanCode.