Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan], October 13 (ANI): The Indian U17 women's team will be aiming to script history as they begin their AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2026 Qualifiers campaign against hosts Kyrgyz Republic in Group G's opening game at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek on Monday.

India last participated in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in 2005, so the Young Tigresses are tasked with ending a 21-year wait to play at the continental stage. Uzbekistan are the third and final team in the group, and only the group winners will qualify for the 12-team final tournament in China in May 2026. Should India make it through, it will be their first time doing so via the qualifiers route.

In Sunday's pre-tournament press conference, head coach Joakim Alexandersson, who also led the U20 women to Asian Cup qualification in August, said, as quoted by AIFF press release, 'We were in camp together in Bengaluru for several weeks, and also spent the last couple of weeks in Goa. In between the camps, we participated in the SAFF U17 Women's Championship in Bhutan, where we played six matches. After that, we returned to Bengaluru and continued our camp there. So overall, we've had many matches and training sessions, and the team is ready.'

India eased to the SAFF title in August, scoring a whopping 30 goals in six games, and even sealed the trophy with a game to spare. Twenty of those 23 title-winning players are part of the contingent that has travelled to Bishkek.

India arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on October 7, six days before the first game, which has helped them acclimatise to the local conditions. The weather is much cooler than Goa or Bengaluru, and despite the days being sunny, the mercury plummets to around 10 degrees Celsius after sunset.

'I don't think that will affect us at all. There are no excuses for the weather. We arrived here from India on the seventh of October, so we've already been here for almost a week before the first match. We haven't had any problems. We're fully adjusted. We know it can dip below zero degrees here in the winters, but it's not that cold yet, so we're good,' Alexandersson affirmed.

Kyrgyz Republic have been coached by Spaniard Antonio Mesa since February. They participated in the CAFA U17 Women's Championship in March, finishing in third place behind champions Uzbekistan and runners-up IR Iran. All of their games were tightly-contested (1-0 win vs Tajikistan, 0-0 draw with Uzbekistan, and 0-1 loss to IR Iran).

Mesa anticipates similar close battles in the Asian qualifiers as well. He said, as quoted by AIFF press release, 'We feel the group will be very tight and everything will be decided by small details. All our players are more than ready; everyone wants to reach the final tournament, but in the end, it will come down to the little details.'

'We are very happy with how our preparation has gone, not just recently but over the past months as well. We want to thank the federation and the players for their efforts. We are more than ready and will try to put on a good performance,' added the Kyrgyz Republic head coach. (ANI)