Conti Interview | ‘We Are Going To Give It Our All’: India Ready To Play Without Fear At AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026

The Indian team touched down in Suzhou, China, on Monday, for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026. The Young Tigresses are on the cusp of history, making their first appearance in the tournament in over two decades.

Apart from continental glory, there is another, much bigger prize on the line – a place in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026 in Morocco. India have been pitted in one of the toughest groups, alongside 2014 World Cup champions Japan, regional powerhouses Australia, and 2015 Arab Cup winners Lebanon.

However, India enter the tournament with a clear mandate: take the fight to their stronger and more fancied opponents, and secure a place in the World Cup. Head coach Pamela Conti, who joined the squad in January, is unapologetically bold in this regard.

“We will play on the 2nd (May) against Australia. Our objective, clearly, is to go to the World Cup,” Conti said a day before the team left for China. “We know that there are very good teams, but we are going there to play them face-to-face and try to do the best for India.”

The top two sides from the three groups will qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams. The semi-finalists will earn a ticket to Morocco to play in the U-17 World Cup.

India open their campaign against a formidable Australian side on May 2 at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre, where all the games will be hosted. They will follow this up with a match against Japan on May 5 before facing Lebanon in the final Group B match on May 8.

Conti Relishing ‘Pressure’ Of Asian Cup Expectations

As India take the field at Suzhou, a nation will be watching expectantly back home. This year, both the senior women’s team and the U-20 women’s team have made historic appearances in the tournament, but have failed to progress beyond the group stages. However, coach Conti will not let those results define her team.

“We do our job without thinking or looking at what happened (elsewhere),” she said. “We respect everyone, and we know that we have to fight, and it is clear that we want to advance to the second round, knowing that we can make history.”

“I wish I could always have this pressure, which for me is not pressure, it’s a beautiful thing. Zero pressure.”

The reality, however, remains that India will be one of the underdogs in the tournament. Japan and Australia are the two highest-ranked Asian teams in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, and Lebanon are no pushover, either, having beaten Iran and Singapore last year.

However, the Young Tigresses aren’t going to China to make up the numbers. Nor will they, as the coach stresses repeatedly, play negative football. The goal is not to win by any means necessary, but to make the opponents, full of world-class players, respect you.

“For sure, you are not going to see an ‘only defensive team’,” Conti says. “We are going to play face-to-face, we are going to give it our all against everyone. We are India, and people might think they are going to play with us. (But) we are going to play football. We are not just going to defend.”

System Over Superstars

India have named the strongest possible 23-player squad for the U-17 Women’s Asian Cup. Strikers like Anushka Kumari and Pearl Fernandes have been brilliant in front of goal in the age groups. While they will be key in breaking down the opposition, Conti, a former Italy international, is quick to stress that the team, not the individuals, is what will bring success.

“They are important players for the team because they are players who like to score goals. But for me, the team is more important, the overall structure, because without the contribution of other players, they couldn’t score goals,” Conti says.

“For us, we don’t talk about players. We talk about India, we talk about the team. And we are a team, and we are going all out,” she adds. “There are players who have shown that they can be more important, and it’s not just about scoring the goal. It’s the economy and the balance of the team that they give you. The goal is the consequence of what the team creates.”

However, in every team, there are superstars, and for India, that player is Julan Nongmaithem. The 15-year-old is a wunderkind in Indian women’s football, having already made her senior debut last year. She carries the added responsibility of leading the U-17 side in the upcoming tournament, both as a player and captain, but the coach is careful to temper expectations.

“Julan is a very important player; she has an incredible future. She has to believe it, she has to keep working,” Conti says. “But I don’t like to talk about just one player. I think we have 23 players who are just as important as her. I hope Julan, like many others, can help the team. But it’s not just one player, it’s the whole team and my coaching staff.”

Gruelling Preparations

The path to the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup has been a gruelling one for the young Indian players. They took part in the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship in Nepal in February, which they won, before playing friendlies in Myanmar and Russia. It has been four months of non-stop preparation and training camps, most of which have been held in Bengaluru. For Pamela Conti, the attitude shown by her young side has been a source of pride.

“These young players haven’t seen their family or friends for almost four months, and it’s not easy,” the coach admits. “To me, this is priceless. I am very proud of them. No matter how it goes, I will always stick my neck out for my players. All the responsibility will always be mine, whatever happens.”

When the whistle blows on Saturday, a nation – proud of our players, like Conti is – will be waiting and praying for their success. With the men’s side also taking part in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in May, it’s up to our young boys and girls to bring glory to the nation on the global stage.

India At AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Schedule

India vs Australia – May 2 at 5:00 PM IST

India vs Japan – May 5 at 5:00 PM IST

India vs Lebanon – May 8 at 1:00 PM IST