The victory ended a seven-year wait for the title as the Blue Tigresses lifted a record-extending sixth SAFF Women’s Championship trophy, dethroning defending champions Bangladesh in front of a jubilant home crowd.

India’s journey to the title was nothing short of impressive. The hosts won all four of their matches during the tournament, scored 18 goals, and conceded just once, underlining their dominance throughout the competition.

The final lived up to expectations as the region’s two strongest sides battled for supremacy. India controlled much of the early proceedings and created several opportunities before finally breaking the deadlock in the 42nd minute. Pyari Xaxa showcased excellent footwork inside the penalty area before seeing her effort take a deflection and find the back of the net to hand India a deserved lead.

However, Bangladesh responded moments before halftime through Ritu Porna Chakma, whose well-taken finish drew the defending champions level and set up an intriguing second half.

India wasted no time regaining control after the restart. Just 40 seconds into the second half, Pyari turned provider as her delivery into the box was met by Sanfida Nongrum, who powered a header into the net to restore India’s advantage.

The goal shifted momentum firmly in India’s favour as the Blue Tigresses began dictating the tempo of the match. Bangladesh attempted to find another equaliser but struggled to create meaningful openings against a disciplined Indian side.

The decisive moment arrived in the 82nd minute when substitute Lynda Kom Serto capitalised on a defensive lapse and calmly slotted home India’s third goal, effectively putting the contest beyond doubt and sparking celebrations among the home supporters.

As the final whistle blew, scenes of joy unfolded across the stadium as players and staff celebrated a long-awaited return to the top of South Asian football. The triumph was made even more special for veteran forward Dangmei Grace, who brought an end to her international career on a high, winning her third SAFF Women’s Championship title after representing India for over a decade.

Individual accolades further highlighted India’s successful campaign. Aveka Singh finished as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals, while Sanfida Nongrum was named the Most Valuable Player for her outstanding performances throughout the competition. Goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam was awarded the Best Goalkeeper prize after a superb tournament between the posts.

For India, the title represents more than just another trophy. It marks the return of the Blue Tigresses to the top of South Asian football and serves as a statement of intent for the future as they continue to build on an exciting new generation of talent.

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Playing their first-ever international fixture in Goa, the Blue Tigresses produced a commanding display from start to finish, showcasing the difference in quality and experience between the two sides. The emphatic result also marked India’s biggest victory in the SAFF Women’s Championship since their 12-0 triumph over Afghanistan in 2014.

Aveka Singh stole the spotlight with a sensational four-goal performance, while Priyangka Devi Naorem and Karishma Shirvoikar added two goals each. Pyari Xaxa, Grace Dangmei, and Sangita Basfore also found the net in a complete attacking performance by the hosts.

India began aggressively and immediately pinned Maldives deep inside their own half through relentless pressing and quick movement across the flanks. The opening goal arrived in the 11th minute when Priyangka bundled home from close range after a well-worked short-corner routine, marking a memorable return from injury with a goal.

The Blue Tigresses continued to dominate possession and create chances at will. Priyangka doubled India’s advantage in the 21st minute after being played through by Aveka, before Pyari Xaxa added a third with a composed finish from outside the box.

India’s attacking rhythm only intensified as Aveka scored directly from a long-range free-kick in the 34th minute, while Grace Dangmei made it five before halftime with a close-range finish following another dangerous set-piece move.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with India continuing to attack despite their comfortable lead. Karishma Shirvoikar made an immediate impact off the bench with two well-taken goals, while Sangita Basfore added another with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.

Aveka then took complete control of the contest, scoring twice in quick succession to complete her first international hat-trick before adding a fourth goal late in the game with a diving header to round off a memorable evening.

India ended the match with complete dominance in every department, controlling possession, creating constant pressure, and maintaining intensity throughout difficult conditions in Goa.

The result sends the Blue Tigresses to the top of Group B with three points from their opening fixture. They will next face Bangladesh women’s national football team on May 31 at the same venue, while Maldives will take on Bangladesh earlier in the week. India could seal qualification to the semi-finals even before their next match depending on other results in the group.

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The tournament will be hosted in India from May 25 to June 6, with all matches set to be played at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This marks the second time India will host the competition, having previously done so in 2016, when they lifted the title.

Group A consists of Nepal women’s national football team, Sri Lanka women’s national football team, and Bhutan women’s national football team. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals scheduled for June 3, with the final set to take place on June 6.

India will begin their campaign against Maldives on May 25 at 19:30, before facing Bangladesh on May 31 in what promises to be a crucial group-stage encounter.

The seeding for the draw was based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, with India (69th) placed in Pot 1 alongside Nepal. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were in Pot 2, while Bhutan and Maldives completed Pot 3.

India enter the tournament as the most successful side in its history, having won the title five times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019). However, Bangladesh will pose a strong challenge as the reigning back-to-back champions, having lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2024.

Groups

Group A: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan
Group B: India, Bangladesh, Maldives

Fixtures

May 25, 2026
16:30 – Bhutan vs Nepal
19:30 – Maldives vs India

May 28, 2026
16:30 – Sri Lanka vs Bhutan
19:30 – Bangladesh vs Maldives

May 31, 2026
16:30 – Nepal vs Sri Lanka
19:30 – India vs Bangladesh

June 3, 2026 (Semi-finals)
16:00 – Group A Winners vs Group B Runners-up
20:00 – Group B Winners vs Group A Runners-up

June 6, 2026 (Final)
18:30 – Final

With home advantage and a rich history in the competition, India will be aiming to reclaim the SAFF Women’s Championship title, setting up an exciting tournament in Goa.

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On Sunday, she scored her first hat-trick in the span of just 19 minutes against Bhutan in the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship. A sizzling free-kick into the roof of the net and two right-footed strikes that nestled into the bottom corner. A special talent is brewing in Indian women’s football.

It’s been brewing since before she was even a teenager. She started to play at the age of six, like how most kids in India do. “At first, I used to play casually at home. Watching my elder sisters go to play made me want to go out and play as well, so that’s how I began,” Anushka told AIFF.

When she was 11, she joined the Residential Girls Football Centre in Hazaribagh, around 80 kilometres from her hometown Rukka in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand.

“From then on, I kept moving forward. I played in the Sub Junior National Football Championship for Jharkhand. The scouts were present there. I performed my best, and from there, I was selected for the national camp,” said Anushka, whose mother is a labourer and runs the household after her father suffered a fractured leg and is unable to work anymore.

And just like that, Anushka found herself wearing the blue of India at the SAFF U16 Women’s Championship 2024 in Nepal. She was only 13 years old and emerged as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with five goals, scoring in every single match.

“Playing for India means a lot to me because there are so many players who attend trials from various places, and then only a few of us get selected. After that, it’s even more difficult to make it to the playing XI. So being here makes me feel really happy that out of so many players, I could make it through.”

But when India lost the final to Bangladesh on penalties, Anushka was left dejected. This wasn’t how her maiden foray into international football was supposed to be.

“When we went to play the SAFF last year, we couldn’t win the final. We felt really bad because we had worked so hard but still couldn’t get the trophy home. So this time (in Bhutan), we have come with the mindset to win the trophy and take it back with us.”

A diminutive but quick figure on the pitch, Anushka started out as an attacking midfielder before transitioning into a striker, while playing for Indian Arrows Women Juniors under Joakim Alexandersson during last season’s IWL 2. She was her team’s top-scorer with six goals, playing a big role in their runners-up finish and promotion to the IWL.

“The IWL 2 was a really good experience. Earlier, I did not know how to play as a striker. Coach Joakim put me in that role, and I learned how much a striker can contribute by scoring and helping the team. Whenever I get the ball, I have an eye for the goal. I learned a lot from playing in the league,” said Anushka.

Off the pitch, her father and elder brother are her biggest supporters. “They feel so proud when they see me playing, whether on TV or on the phone. It delights them by saying, ‘my daughter is playing or my sister is playing’. Whenever I need anything, I tell them, and they make sure I get it. So, I am really thankful to both of them.

“I have a lot of dreams. Going forward, I want to play for the U20s, and then the senior national team and help India win games. I want to keep scoring goals and, one day, take this team to the World Cup,” aspired Anushka.

For now, the immediate task in hand is to lift the SAFF U17 Women’s title on the August 31 in Thimphu. Her first hat-trick has only fuelled the fire even more as she chases her second consecutive top-scorer award. With five goals in three games, she leads the chart, closely followed by teammate Abhista Basnett at four. But as long as the team wins, it doesn’t matter whose boots the goals come from.

“My team always supports me well, and since it was my first hat-trick, I am really happy that I could perform well. We want to win the SAFF and then qualify for the U17 Asian Cup in October,” said Anushka.

With three wins in three, the Young Tigresses are flying in Bhutan so far. They will face the hosts again on Wednesday, August 27, at the Changlimithang Stadium at 17:30 IST. The match will be streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube Channel.

Ahead of the fourth match of the competition, head coach Joakim Alexandersson said, “It’s been great to see many different goalscorers so far. We had a recovery session on Monday and a solid hour of training today (Tuesday). Our starts haven’t been the best so far, so we are more focused and concentrated on what we want to do with the ball right from the beginning. Our defence has been decently good, but there are still things to improve.”

Credits: AIFF Media

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The Indian Women are preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 in April wherein they are drawn in Group A, pitted against hosts Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal – who will host the SAFF Women’s Championship in March.

Dubbing the clash as a litmus test, head coach Maymol Rocky said, “Uzbekistan are one of the top teams of Asia and it will be a challenge to face them. They are strong on the counter and we will have to be at our 100 per cent to beat them”

“The Hero Gold Cup was a good opportunity for us to test our permutations and combinations strategically against quality opponents and we will look to do the same in the Turkish Cup with an aim of creating a final iteration as we proceed to the Olympic Qualifiers”

The Indian women had gone on an unbeaten run of five matches including wins over Hong Kong, Indonesia and Iran (in the Hero Gold Cup), but losses against Nepal and Myanmar – both coming in the Hero Gold Cup, have given room for improvement.

“We have worked on our finishing ever since the Hero Gold Cup where we faltered in front of goal. The bright spot in the Gold Cup was that we were creating chances at will and we look to continue that in the Turkish Cup.”

“We are focusing on finishing the chances we create while implementing the game plan,” Maymol added.

The Indian Women had lost 7-1 to Uzbekistan in 2017 in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers. Two years down the road, Ashalata Devi, who played in 2017, believes that the result will be different altogether this time.

“We have developed and evolved into better players by leaps and bounds. We also have tested ourselves against tough opponents and there is no doubt that if we play to the best of our abilities, we can beat Uzbekistan,” said Ashalata.

“It will be a tough match for us but we are prepared for them. We stunned Iran as well (in the Hero Gold Cup) and we have the capacity to defeat some of the best teams if we play to our strengths,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Indian Women will also be facing Turkmenistan and Romania in the Turkish Women’s Cup 2019.

AIFF MEDIA

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