India to face stiff challenge from Japan, Australia, and Chinese Taipei in the AFC Under-20 group stage
India will be facing stiff challenges in the group stage of the AFC Under-20 Women’s football championship main draw from Japan, Australia, and Chinese Taipei. The final draw ceremony took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. India is one of the 11 teams (eight group winners and three best-ranked runners-up) to make the cut for the tournament, joining host Thailand. The Joakim Alexanderrson-led side qualified for the tournament after topping its group ahead of Indonesia, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in August. India will face a tough challenge from Japan, the last edition’s runner-up, and also a record six-time champion. It also won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018 and was runner-up in 2024. Meanwhile, Australia finished in third place in the 2024 edition of the U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, while Chinese Taipei was knocked out in the group stage. The competition is set to take place from 1st to 18th April next year.
Harmanpreet Kaur shared her Player of the Match award with fast bowler Kranti Gaud
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won player-of-the-match award for an excellent century against England in the third and final ODI of the bilateral series which concluded on Tuesday in Chester-le-Street. Kaur scored 102 off 84 to help India post a match-winning total of 318 in reply to which England managed 305. In reply, England fought hard through Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 98 and her 162-run third wicket stand with Emma Lamb (68) but eventually ran out of steam as they were bowled out for 305. Kranti bagged her maiden five-wicket haul, finishing with 6 for 52 as India wrapped up the game by 13 runs with one ball remaining and clinched the three-match series 2-1. A major role in the historic achievement was played by rising fast bowler Kranti Goud who produced a sensational effort with the ball to finish with career-best bowling figures of 6/52 from 9.5 overs to help India win by 13 runs. Kranti became the fifth Indian bowler and the youngest to pick up a six-wicket haul in WODIs. She also became only the second Indian to achieve the feat against England after Jhulan Goswami (2005). In a video posted by BCCI Women on X, Harmanpreet acknowledged Goud’s career-best figures of 6/52 by sharing the POTM honour with the youngster. last wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the 3rd WODI against England. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Indian women’s team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur shared her player of the match award with youngster Kranti Goud after the team’s 13-run win over England in the third WODI at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.The victory gave India a second straight series win in England with Harmanpreet named player of the match and player of the series for her efforts. After the end of presentation ceremony, in a heartwarming gesture, Kaur announced she’s going to share the player-of-the-match award with her young teammate whom she lavished with high praise. In a video posted by BCCI Women on X, Harmanpreet acknowledged Goud’s career-best figures of 6/52 by sharing the POTM honour with the youngster. “I want to share my player-of-the-match award with Kranti because she bowled one of the best spells of her career. It’s a great achievement for a bowler. We’ve been dying for a fast bowler like you. Well done, Kranti you deserve it. The 21-year-old Goud is a right-arm fast bowler hailing from Madhya Pradesh. She made her ODI debut in May against Sri Lanka in Colombo. She played her maiden T20I against England in Birmingham earlier this month. Earlier this year, she represented UP Warriorz in the WPL 2025 where she took six wickets in what was her maiden campaign of career. Growing up, Kranti took interest in fast bowling after watching bhaiyas play tennis ball cricket. For a long time, she didn’t know that there’s something called spin bowling in cricket and that is the reason she developed an interest in fast bowling.
Iran ensures a berth in the Women’s AFC Asian Cup finals, follows India and Bangladesh
Iran has booked the final ticket to the women’s Asian Cup, beating Jordan 2-1, with the cast now set for the 2026 tournament in Australia. Marziyeh Jafari’s side defied the odds with a victory in Amman on Saturday, ensuring it will be at the event in Perth, the Gold Coast, and Sydney from March 1-21. Defending champion China, Asian powerhouses Japan and South Korea, along with the host nation, all qualified automatically. Joining Iran in advancing through the qualifiers were India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and North Korea. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 — the final 12 teams are locked in,” said local organising committee chief Sarah Walsh on Sunday. “There’s a real energy building, not just here in Australia but across Asia, and this diverse, high-quality line-up shows just how far women’s football has come.” The tournament draw will take place in Sydney on July 29.
Hong Kong’s Kitchee SC and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown FC in East Bengal’s group in the AFC Women’s Champions League
East Bengal FC has been placed in Group E of the upcoming AFC Women’s Champions League, following the draw held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The Red and Gold Brigade will face Hong Kong-based Kitchee SC and Cambodian Women’s League side Phnom Penh Crown FC in the preliminary stage. The Anthony Andrews-coached team qualified for the continental tournament’s preliminaries by winning the 2024–25 Indian Women’s League (IWL). East Bengal was placed in Pot 1 for the draw, alongside Kaohsiung Attackers FC (Chinese Taipei), Stallion Laguna FC (Philippines), and the College of Asian Scholars (Thailand). The Kolkata side will travel to Cambodia to participate in the Preliminary Stage, which will be held in a centralized round-robin format from August 25 to 31, 2025. Nineteen clubs from across the continent will play the Preliminary Stage, which features five groups – four groups of four teams each, and one group consisting of three clubs. The five group winners will advance to the Group Stage, where they will join clubs from the top seven AFC Member Associations in the AFC Women’s Club Competition Rankings 2024-25 – Melbourne City FC (Australia), Suwon FC Women (Korea Republic), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (China), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (Vietnam), Bam Khatoon FC (IR Iran), and a to-be-determined club from the United Arab Emirates.
