By News18
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced a reward of USD 50,000 for the Indian women鈥檚 football team following their remarkable performance in the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup Qualifiers held in Thailand.
The Blue Tigresses had a flawless campaign, winning all four matches convincingly. India achieved emphatic victories over Mongolia (13-0), Timor-Leste (4-0), and Iraq (5-0), before securing a critical 2-1 win against the higher-ranked hosts Thailand.
How AIFF Helped India Women鈥檚 Football?
In recent years, the AIFF, in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), has launched several initiatives to strengthen grassroots and youth structures in women鈥檚 football. One such initiative is the ASMITA Women鈥檚 Football Leagues, successfully conducting 155 leagues nationwide from 2023 to 2025 at the U13, U15, and U17 levels. The 2023-24 edition saw participation from 6,305 junior players, increasing to 8,658 in 2024-25.
As a result of these efforts, the number of registered women footballers in India has increased by 232% over the past year, according to the AIFF.
鈥淟ooking ahead, the AIFF remains fully committed to ensuring the best possible preparation for the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in Australia in March 2026. The Federation will work closely with all stakeholders to facilitate extended training camps and secure high-quality international exposure for the team.
鈥淭he aim for the Federation is not only to make the players physically and mentally fit through training, but also to make them ready to rub shoulders against the best in Asia. Opportunities for the AIFF to arrange quality opponents to play preparatory matches are also being looked at,鈥 read the statement by the football governing body.
The team鈥檚 preparation for the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup Qualifiers included a 53-day national camp, where the squad engaged in local practice matches in Bengaluru and competed in two FIFA Women鈥檚 International Friendlies against Uzbekistan, who also qualified for the continental tournament.
(With inputs from IANS)