The Indian Women’s Football Team will travel abroad next month as they prepare for the AFC Women’s Asia Cup. The team will leave for UAE on Thursday, September 30. They will face the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
The ride goes on as they will then travel to Bahrain. In Bahrain, they will play Bahrain as well as Chinese Taipei. After the International battles, the squad might travel to Sweden. The entry for Indian Citizens into Sweden has not opened up yet. Confirmation from concerned authorities will decide the future of the fixtures.
Should they go ahead with the games, the Indian Women’s Football Team will face 2 teams from the Damallsvenskan League. These games will be vital for the team that will play against some of the best teams in the continent. Playing against different playing styles in different environments will ensure that the players are truly prepared for a major tournament.
Indian Women’s Football Team: Preparation for the AFC Cup
According to the latest FIFA rankings, the National team stands 57th globally and 13th in Asia. India qualified for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asia Cup as host. This tournament will serve as the qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
AIFF President Praful Patel and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur met last week to discuss the necessary preparations. The pandemic has affected the preparation of the teams and thus friendlies like these will play a crucial role in evaluating the success of the squad.
The team has been training together for over a month at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Head Coach Thomas Dennerby believes that his squad will benefit from the exposure they will get in the months to come.
He also acknowledged the tremendous work put in by the AIFF to find games for the squad. The Swede believes that the team has to improve a lot in terms of how they build up and continue but know that the friendlies will do them the world of good in that respect.
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