Indian woman footballer Manisha Kalyan on Friday said she harbours the dream of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, a belief strengthened by the national team’s qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia next year.
Manisha, the only Indian footballer to have played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, was the centre of attention at the ASMITA under-13 league for girls at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
Calling ASMITA a rare platform for young girls to realise their football dreams, the 23-year-old urged participants to play more quality matches to improve their game.
“I am still dreaming of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics and after we qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia next year, our belief has been bolstered,” Manisha told the eight teams taking part in the Guwahati leg of ASMITA, aimed at scouting grassroots talent across India.
She was joined by two emerging talents from Assam, Rekha Kataki and Dosomi Rowtia, both products of the ASMITA league. Dosomi has made it to the national camp while Rekha has captained NorthEast United Football Club in the Indian Women’s League Division 2.
“Football is in the genes of North-East people. I grew up watching Bala Devi and now 11 of my colleagues in the senior national team are from this region. This only shows how much talent is present here. Maybe, five years from now, one of these kids will play for Assam and then India. Just work hard and only think about football. The ecosystem is surely developing and with government’s support, we can only do better,” Manisha said.
The sports ministry has identified the north-east as a focus area, with sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya announcing a northeast-specific games to be added to the Khelo India calendar.
“That will be a great addition. Not only football, this region is contributing to all sports and to give them more exposure is the right way to go,” Manisha said.
Manisha has played professionally in Cyprus and Greece.
Indian women’s football has received a further boost with the national team jumping seven places to 63rd in the latest FIFA rankings, their best in nearly two years.
The climb was fuelled by a 2-1 win over Thailand, which sealed qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. This is the first time the Blue Tigresses have qualified for the tournament based on performance.
India began their qualifying campaign with a 13-0 win over Mongolia, followed by 4-0 and 5-0 victories over Timor-Leste and Iraq.
Going into the final match level on points with Thailand, midfielder Sangita Basfore scored twice to give India the decisive win. The qualification holds special significance as India had to withdraw from the last edition of the Asian Cup, despite hosting it, due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.
The Indian U20 women’s team will face Turkmenistan on Friday, August 8, at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Qualifiers Group D.
India are chasing their first win after a goalless draw with Indonesia in their opener. Wins against Turkmenistan and hosts Myanmar would secure top spot in Group D and qualification for the tournament.
Turkmenistan enter the match after a 6-1 defeat to Myanmar in their first game. They took an early lead but trailed 4-1 at half-time before conceding two more goals in the second half.
The Indian U17 girls have been drawn in Group G for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. They will face hosts Kyrgyz Republic on October 13 and Uzbekistan on October 17 in Bishkek. Group winners will progress to the final tournament in China, joining DPR Korea, Japan, South Korea and hosts China PR.
