New Delhi, Aug 28 — The India U17 women’s team will continue their preparations for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers with two friendly matches against Philippines in Goa on September 26 and 29.
The venue for both matches will be confirmed at a later date. It will mark only the second meeting between India and Philippines at this age level. The Southeast Asians won 2-0 in the AFC U16 Women's Championship 2017 Qualifiers.
Coached by Joakim Alexandersson, India are currently in Tashkent to play two friendlies against hosts Uzbekistan. The first one ended goalless on Thursday, while the second will take place on Sunday. The games against Philippines will be the Young Tigresses' last friendly outings before they travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, which will be held from October 5 to 11. India will open their campaign against Iraq on October 5, before facing Syria on October 8 and hosts Malaysia on October 11.
Following their historic first-ever appearance in the knockout stage of the previous edition in Suzhou, China, the Young Tigresses will be aiming to qualify for back-to-back AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cups for the first time.
On Friday, the All India Football Federation has introduced a new competition format for the upcoming Sub Junior Boys' and Girls' National Football Championships 2026-27, with the aim of youth development and aligning existing grassroots pathways with global standards.
Based on the FIFA U15 World Cup format guidelines, the revised structure intends to create a more dynamic and development-focused environment in an effort to enhance player growth, technical proficiency and intensity of competition at the youth level.
Under the new format, matches will be played 8 v 8, with two halves of 20 minutes each and a five-minute half-time break. The pitch will measure 68 metres by 50 metres, with a standard goal size of 7.32 metres by 2.44 metres. An offside line will be marked at 23 metres.