India U-20 Women Face Japan Test as AFC Asian Cup Opens in Thailand
India’s young Tigresses open their AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup campaign against Japan on Thursday in Bangkok — and nobody is pretending it will be easy.
Japan are among the best in the world at this level. India qualified for the tournament for the first time in 20 years. The gap is real. But coach Joakim Alexandersson is not asking his side to shrink from it.
“Japan are one of the best teams in the world at this level, and Australia are very strong and physical too,” he said. “It’s important that we respect these opponents but do not fear them. We want to play with confidence.”
Preparation has been serious. India spent time training in Bengaluru from January, then completed a one-month camp in Sweden where they played five friendlies against Swedish club senior sides. They arrived in Bangkok on March 20, with 13 days to settle in.
Alexandersson says the squad has grown. “There has been significant improvement — better ball movement, quicker passing, and more clarity in the final third,” he said. The group also includes Australia and Chinese Taipei. The top two sides, plus the two best third-placed finishers across all groups, advance to the quarters — and from there, to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
Kick-off at Thammasat Stadium is April 2 at 18:30 IST.