The Indian women's football team is set to face Timor Leste in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, with head coach Crispin Chettri urging caution despite the apparent disparity in rankings. India, ranked 70th, will play against Timor Leste, ranked 158th, on Sunday at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Coming off a dominant 13-0 victory against Mongolia, India is aiming to maintain its winning momentum. However, Chettri believes that Timor Leste will pose a sterner challenge than Mongolia. He has observed that Timor Leste is a better-organized team defensively and is more inclined to play on the counter-attack. Chettri noted that Timor Leste doesn't mind keeping the ball and has pace in their team.
India and Timor Leste have never faced each other in international competition before. Timor Leste, coached by Indonesian Emral bin Bustamam, has been more active in international football compared to Mongolia. They finished fourth in the 2024 AFF Women's Cup, where they drew against Laos and Singapore. Their 0-0 draw with Iraq was their first-ever point in an AFC competition.
Chettri and his coaching staff were present at the stadium to watch Timor Leste's performance against Thailand. Although Thailand won 4-0, Chettri's assessment is that Timor Leste are defensively better organized than Iraq. Drawing lessons from that game and utilizing the five-day break, the Indian squad has been focusing on fine-tuning tactics and recovery.
Chettri emphasized the importance of mental recovery, stating that stepping away from the football mindset and recharging helps players return to training with sharper focus and energy. He also mentioned that the team had two morning and two evening training sessions, with one complete rest day. Chettri had previously stated that the team is shaping up well and acclimatizing to the weather conditions in Chiang Mai, which are more humid than in Bengaluru, where they had been training.
Only the group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Australia in March 2026. The AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027.
