The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced a reward of USD 25,000 (INR 22 lakh) for the U20 women’s team. It is worth mentioning that India last qualified for the tournament in 2006.

For the first time in two decades, the India U-20 women’s team have managed to secure a qualification for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup. The side achieved the feat after defeating hosts Myanmar 1-0 in their final Group D encounter at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon. With this result, the Young Tigresses finished at the top of their group with seven points. It was Pooja who registered the lone goal for India.

In the Group D qualification campaign, India came up with some astonishing results, where they squared off against Indonesia (0-0) and Turkmenistan (7-0). It all came to a conclusion with the side defeating hosts Myanmar 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. In the entire campaign, India did not concede a single goal.

“The results on the pitch, however, are a direct outcome of the hard yards put in behind the scenes with sustained planning and developmental efforts over the past few years. With no shortcuts taken, India’s qualification for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup was a direct culmination of the long-term vision and structured preparation put in place at the grassroots level,” the AIFF said in an official release.