India U17s ready for challenge against older girls in SAFF U19 Women's C'ship

Led by new head coach Pamela Conti, the U17 team is using this higher-age group tournament as part of its preparations for the AFC U17 Womens Asian Cup that will be held in China from April 30.

The Indian U17 women's team will play their first match in the SAFF U19 Women's Championship 2026 against hosts Nepal at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium here on Saturday. Led by new head coach Pamela Conti, the U17 team is using this higher-age group tournament as part of its preparations for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup that will be held in China from April 30. At the pre-competition press conference, Conti expressed her excitement ahead of her first tournament with the Young Tigresses. ''We are happy to be here in Nepal. I've been with the team for almost a week now, and we've had good training in Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh). We have a young squad as we are U17, and we'll compete against older girls. ''More than the tournament itself, these games are a chance to assess ourselves and prepare for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers,'' said the Italian. Out of the 23 players in the SAFF U19 Women's Championship, 19 were part of the squad that qualified for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup under Joakim Alexandersson in Kyrgyz Republic last year. For the four new players -- goalkeeper Shelna Maria Sajit, defender Akashi Naik, and midfielders Alva Devi Senjam and Redima Devi Chingkhamayum -- it will mark their debut for India in an international tournament. Overall, India's squad for this tournament has an average age of 16.1 years. Captain Julan Nongmaithem, who lifted the SAFF U17 Women's Championship 2025 title in her first international tournament in Bhutan, carried similar energy ahead of the SAFF U19 campaign. ''We have all prepared well in our camp. Our team is supporting and cooperating with each other. We want to play good football and will try our best to win this tournament,'' said the 14-year-old, who has already made her senior India debut against Nepal in a friendly in Shillong last year. Talking about Saturday's opponents, Conti said, ''The first game of the tournament is always important. We will be playing against the home team. But yes, we have confidence in ourselves. We are trying to incorporate a more European style in our play, and use the best of our abilities.'' The four-team tournament will be played in a round-robin format, followed by a final between the top-two teams on February 7. After Nepal, India will face Bangladesh on February 2 and Bhutan on February.

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