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Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre: Saturday will mark another landmark moment of the year for Indian women’s football as the U17 national team kicks off their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 campaign against Australia.

It will be India’s first appearance at the U17 Women’s Asian Cup since 2005, marking the end of a 21-year wait at this level. More significantly, it completes a rare and historic sequence in 2026, with India's third women's Asian Cup appearance following the senior team and the U20 side.

Head coach Pamela Conti underlined the mood in the camp as the team stands on the cusp of their opening match. “I think everyone is excited and really eager for it to start,” she said. “We’ve been working for a long time, for many months. But it’s always a great feeling to play in important international tournaments, especially representing a big, big country like India. So yes, we are ready for it,” she was quoted as saying by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).