Amirreza Valipoor put Iran ahead in the 19th minute
India captain Dallalmuon Gangte's first-half penalty levelled score
Gunleiba Wangheirakpam netted winner for hosts in the 52nd minute
The India U17 men's football team sealed its AFC Under-17 Asian Cup 2026 berth on Sunday (November 30, 2025), beating Iran 2-1 at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad in their final qualifying match.
Amirreza Valipoor put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute, but India bounced back via captain Dallalmuon Gangte's first-half penalty and a subsequent winner by Gunleiba Wangheirakpam in the 52nd minute.
The Blue Colts will thus be headed to the continental showpiece for the 10th time. They also become the fourth Indian football team to make the Asia Cup cut this year after the senior women’s side, the U20 women’s outfit and the U17 women’s team.
The result also stands in sharp contrast to the senior men's team's abject failure earlier in November, as they finished last in a Asian Cup qualifying group with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, nations with more modest resources and far smaller pools of players.
More to follow...
