Bhubaneswar: Two girls from the State are part of the 23-member Indian squad set to take part in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Suzhou, Eastern China.
Football fans of Odisha will be closely following the performance of defender Ritu Barla and midfielder Thandamoni Baskey as India begin their campaign in Group B with a match against Australia on May 2. They will thereafter face Japan on May 5 and Lebanon on May 8.
The top two teams in the group and two best third-placed teams among all three groups will qualify for the quarterfinals. The four semi-finalists will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Having qualified for the tournament after 21 years, the India U-17 women’s team had a brief training camp in Gurugram before travelling to Suzhou. The AFC U-17 Women’s Asian 2026 will be streamed live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel.
SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Munni, Surajmuni Kumari, Tamphasana Devi Konjengbam. Defenders: Abhista Basnett, Alena Devi Sarangthem, Alisha Lyngdoh, Divyani Linda, Elizabed Lakra, Joyshini Chanu Huidrom, Ritu Barla, Taniya Devi Tonambam. Midfielders: Alva Devi Senjam, Bonifilia Shullai, Julan Nongmaithem, Olivia Chanu Ningthoujam, Pritika Barman, Redima Devi Chingkhamayum, Thandamoni Baskey. Forwards: Anushka Kumari, Anwita Raghuraman, Joya, Pearl Fernandes, Valaina Fernandes. Head coach: Pamela Conti. Assistant coaches: Vincenzo Conti and Nivetha Ramadoss. Goalkeeping coach: Mario Aguiar. Strength and conditioning coach: Amit Yadav.