AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers: India go top of Group B after big wins over Timor-Leste and Mongolia
Manisha Kalyan leads India to victory over Timor-Leste
India’s national football team romped to the top of Group B at the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers on Sunday by notching up their second win in as many games, beating Timor-Leste 4-0 at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai.
Manisha Kalyan was the standout performer for the Blue Tigresses against O Sol Nascente, with the 23-year-old forward opening the scoring for her team in the 12th minute of the match before bagging a brace 10 minutes before the final whistle. You can get up-to-the-minute updates using our football livescore tool.
Kalyan, who was also named the AIFF Women’s Emerging Footballer of the Year in 2022-23, became the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League when she featured in the competition last season for PAOK, who have won the Greek league title 19 times. Speaking in the post-match interview, Kalyan said:
“I’m very happy because we got the three points. It’s good motivation for us to prepare for the next game!”
East Bengal attacker Anju Tamang also got on the scoresheet against Timor-Leste, tucking away her goal just before the hour mark, while Odisha’s Lynda Kom Serto added the icing to the cake, netting India’s fourth goal of the match in the 85th minute.
The victory takes India to six points after two games, two points ahead of Iraq, who they will face in a what could be a pivotal match in the final standings on July 2.
India trounce Mongolia in Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers
Before their impressive victory over Timor-Leste, India kicked off their AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers with a stunning victory over Mongolia, where they scored a resounding 13 goals without response from the Blue Wolves.
Odisha’s Pyari Xaxa scored five goals in the demolition, four of which came in the space of just 10 minutes either side of the halftime interval, while East Bengal’s duo of Sangita Basfore and Soumya Gugloth scored three goals combined.
Rimpa Haldar (Sribhumi), Malavika Prasad (Kerala), Priyadharshini Selladurai (Liberty Ladies) and Grace Dangmei (Kickstart) were also on the scoresheet in the rout. The result marked India’s biggest ever win at an AFC Women’s Asia Cup match.
India now have a massive +17 goal difference in the group standings, which could prove crucial given that only the group winners will advance to the 12-team AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, which is scheduled to run from March 1 to 2026 in Australia next year.
