India begin their campaign against Islamic Republic of Iran on January 20, 2022, followed by matches against Chinese Taipei on January 23, 2022, and China PR on January 26, 2022.

“It is an exciting group. We respect all our opponents as all of them are strong teams who have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup India 2022. But we are ready to play any team,” Dennerby stated moments after the draw.

“I don’t consider any particular match as a key one. All three matches are key matches for us in the group stage. We need to do our job over 90 minutes every time we enter the field,” the coach maintained.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the draw ceremony, AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel averred: “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is the premier flagship tournament for Women’s Football in our Continent, and I’m proud and happy that India is going to be the host for the 2022 edition. I thank the AFC, AIFF and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for jointly working together to bring a fantastic tournament not only for the fans in India, but also for all of the Asian continent.”

“The AFC had recently come and inspected all the facilities in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune. We are looking forward to January 2022 to welcome all the 12 teams to our beautiful country, and I am confident they will be satisfied with the facilities, and hospitality that we have to offer in India,” he expressed.

Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Mr. Dato Windsor John said: “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 promises to be another great celebration throughout the Continent. Together with the All India Football Federation and the Local Organising Committee, we are confident of staging a remarkable tournament that will leave a legacy for many years to come. I must congratulate the teams who have qualified and will line up along with the top three teams from the last edition and our hosts India.”

“I wish the LOC and our friends and colleagues at the AIFF the very best in hosting a truly world-class event next year,” Dato Windsor continued. “I must also thank the people behind the scenes, our officials, members of the media, our commercial partners, stakeholders, and of course, Asia’s unwavering fans for your support. To the 12 teams, I wish you all the best.”

The Indian Women’s Team is currently camping in Jamshedpur with logistical and infrastructural aid from the Government of Jharkhand since September. In the midst of the camp the team had also gone on an exposure tour to UAE, Bahrain and Sweden, where they played against International teams like UAE, Tunisia, Bahrain and Chinese Taipei. The side has also played two friendlies against Swedish Dammalsvenskan (Tier 1) clubs Hammarby IF and Djurgarden IF.

India’s fixtures in the group stage are as follows:

January 20, 2022: India vs Iran (7.30 pm IST – DY Patil Stadium).
January 23, 2022: Chinese Taipei vs India (7.30 pm IST – DY Patil Stadium).
January 26, 2022: India vs China (7.30 pm IST – Mumbai Football Arena).

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The Indian Women’s Team will be playing two friendlies against the UAE National Team, and the Tunisian National Team. The team spent a month in Jamshedpur where they trained with infrastructural and logistical help from the Government of Jharkhand, going through 12 rigorous sessions a week.

Dennerby, who took over the reins of the Senior Women’s National Team earlier this year, comes with a vast experience of having coached the Swedish Women’s Team to the Olympic Final and the Nigerian Women’s Team to the African Women’s Cup of Nations title in the past. Having taken charge of the Indian Women’s Team, Dennerby is hopeful that a good run for India in the Women’s Asian Cup will go a long way in popularising women’s football in the country.

“The mission is to have a successful tournament when we go into the AFC Women’s Asian Cup next year. So we are putting a lot of effort into all the sessions we are doing now. We do five technical and tactical sessions, we do running sessions, we also play friendly games against local sides. We are training hard for the Asian Cup next year,” Dennerby said in a candid chat with www.the-aiff.com on the eve of his side’s first friendly against UAE.

“Back in my home in Sweden, women’s football is huge. In Nigeria, where I’ve also coached, football is like a religion. But here in India, the popularity is perhaps not as much as that. But that is also one of the exciting parts about the job for me,” he beamed. “If we have a successful tournament, it could be huge for India. And if you look at the game, in terms of the physical and tactical parts, I must say that we have a lot of players that can play at a very high level.”

The UEFA Pro License coach brings his own philosophy about the beautiful game into the team, and it is one where the whole squad strives to strike the perfect balance in their harmony on the pitch.

“My philosophy is simple. When it comes to defending, our team has to be organised. Every player has to know exactly what they need to do. We want the team to be compact and we are working on that. And then we also want to this compact team to win the ball back, and when we do that, of course, sometimes we want to counter attack quickly, and sometimes we want to slow it down and play around with the ball,” he explained.

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“I am very excited. We recently saw the women’s hockey team make history at the Tokyo Olympics. That honestly inspired me a lot.” Aditi said referring to the recently concluded Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 when asked about the opportunity to represent the nation in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022^TM. “As a player I could feel that energy, I could feel those emotions and it was just amazing. I am just waiting now for our time to come.”

Dalima, member of the Indian national team, also referenced the achievements of India’s female athletes at the Olympics as a source of motivation.

“I am looking forward to it as an opportunity. In the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, we saw so many female athletes step up on the global stage,” Dalima said.

India won an unprecedented seven medals in Tokyo, including a Gold Medal in the men’s javelin throw event. While the women’s hockey team narrowly missed out on a podium spot in the bronze medal match, they won unanimous plaudits with a best-ever semi-final finish.

“Every time I get to be on the pitch and sing the national anthem, it is such an honour. It is a feeling that cannot be described in words,” Aditi added when asked about the feeling of being able to sing the national anthem in such a prestigious competition.

In a candid conversation which featured the two national team players, Aditi spoke about leveraging the stage provided by the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to set an example for the girls who will participate in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022^TM.

“I think if I were in the U-17 team, I would be looking at the senior team (for inspiration). I know there are a lot of young girls that are looking up to the senior team. There are a few girls who have been promoted and called up for the senior team,” Aditi said before adding, “all of them have a lot of expectations and see us as examples.”

Dalima echoed similar sentiments as she believes the continental competition will serve as a motivation to work harder and a platform to set a precedent.

“I know that in our national team, every player has been working really hard. So, I see it (the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022^TM) as a step forward and as a motivation to be able to do better and put in a lot more effort. We know that there are a lot of eyes on us and a lot of young players coming up who are looking at us,” Dalima said.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022^TM will be held between January 20^th and February 6^th 2022across three venues, namely, the Mumbai Football Arena – Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai, the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, and the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune.

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The 2022 edition will once again blaze a new trail in the development of the women’s game in Asia with an expanded 12 teams set to compete for Continental supremacy – four more than the last four editions – and will feature a newly-introduced Quarter-final stage for the first time in Asian women’s football history.

Creating an unmistakable connection between Asian football fans and the competition, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022^TM logo has been adapted from the original logomark featuring the tournament’s distinctive trophy as the centerpiece, which was introduced at the last edition in Jordan 2018.

The concept of the ‘swirl’ surrounding the trophy was inspired by the national flags and colours of playing kits in Asia, and the iconic stadiums in which the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is played in and celebrates cultural diversity and the unwavering support and enthusiasm of fans for their national teams.

The premium finishing pays tribute to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which delivers the highest level of women’s football in the Continent while providing an unrivalled stage as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Five Asian teams will clinch their spots to join Australia during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 ^TM and two intercontinental playoff places are also up for grabs ahead of the historic cross Confederation and newly expanded 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023.

In addition, local elements of the host Member Association have been infused into the India 2022 tournament specific logo. The maroon in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 ^TM logo takes inspiration from the Warli artworks – a tribal art form mostly preserved by the tribal people from the Northern Sahyadri Ranges in India and in the host state of Maharashtra, where the hue of red and maroon often forms the base of the paintings.

Similarly, the silver in the logo is a testimony to the importance of silver jewellery in Indian households and the beauty and elegance of the precious metal.

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AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das, in a letter to AFC General Secretary Dato Windsor John wrote: “We would like to inform you that after having a discussion with the local organising committee (Odisha Sports), AIFF has decided to postpone the 5th edition of the Hero Indian Women’s League (HIWL) for a few months keeping in mind the monsoon, and an expected third wave of infections.”

The 5th edition was originally supposed to be held in Bhubaneswar by Odisha Sports in close coordination with AIFF. But it had to be postponed owing to the second wave of the pandemic which hit hard. Keeping options open, the League Committee, had taken a decision to conduct it later in a proposed new window subject to health parameters.

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The decision was confirmed taking into careful consideration the existing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as part of efforts to minimise the travelling time for teams and officials between the venues, whilst ensuring the optimum environment to implement the Bio Medical Bubble for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The 37,900-capacity D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will remain as one of the three stadiums that will stage the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022^TM which is on schedule to take place from January 20 to February 6, 2022.

Speaking about the change in venue, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Chairman of the LOC, Mr Praful Patel said, “As the situation evolved, we had to adapt and the need was to create a bio-secure bubble. Hence, we chose Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune, venues in close geographical proximity with stadiums that have previously hosted major football competitions.

“I am happy that the Maharashtra government is paying special attention to the infrastructure and preparations for the tournament, and is dedicated to make the AFC Women’s Asian Cup a grand success,” Mr Patel added.

Mr Patel also thanked the governments of Odisha and Gujarat, states that were slated to host the tournament previously, before assuring thorough preparation for the prestigious event.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to the governments of Odisha and Gujarat, who were both enthusiastic about hosting this tournament. While we continue to adapt, we can assure that thorough preparations will be made to ensure we stage a truly spectacular and safe AFC Women’s Asian Cup.”

Japan, Australia, China PR and hosts India have already sealed their places in the Finals and the race to join the quartet will take centrestage from September this year when 28 teams across eight groups begin their quest to clinch the eight remaining places in the newly-expanded and biggest-ever edition of the Continental women’s showpiece.

Three-time champions Chinese Taipei, Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Laos have been drawn in Group A, while Group B will see Vietnam, Tajikistan, Maldives and Afghanistan compete for a place in the Finals.

Asian powerhouses and three-time title holders DPR Korea are in Group C alongside Singapore, Iraq and Indonesia with Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, Guam and Lebanon completing the line-up in Group D.

2003 runners-up Korea Republic, Uzbekistan and Mongolia are in Group E, as Philippines, Hong Kong and Nepal prepare to battle in Group F.

2018 hosts Jordan will be eyeing a second successive appearance in the Finals but will face tough oppositions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Bangladesh in Group G. Meanwhile, Thailand, Palestine and Malaysia will battle for the coveted Finals solitary spot in Group H.

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