CHENNAI: India’s women’s football team is closer to the FIFA Women’s World Cup than it has been in years.
While the debate around Indian football has largely centred on why the men continue to miss out, the women have quietly built a far more promising pathway. For the first time in nearly two decades, India’s senior, U-20 and U-17 women’s teams have all qualified for the AFC Asian Cup through qualifiers
Yet, as the team has begun to find its footing, the ecosystem has become increasingly unstable. So much so that even the kits sent were ill-fitted, and were manufactured for age-group teams.
“Despite little resources and a fraction of an investment, the women’s team qualified on merit, on sheer willpower, and passion. As for which Indian team is closer to the World Cup, it is there for everyone to see,” Misaka United FC captain Tarini Kumar tells DT Next.
After they qualified for the AFC Asia Cup, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had promised an 83-day preparation camp, which was kept. But they failed to provide the women 10-12 friendlies that were promised, as they played three games (one against Iran and two against Nepal). Meanwhile in the same window, India’s rivals – Vietnam and Chinese Taipei – played more international games.
On paper, India lost all three of its fixtures at the AFC Asia Cup. But for those following the game, it always seemed like the system was wired in a way that the team was always destined to fail.
“The Indian women's team qualified for the AFC Asia Cup through resilience and determination of players and club owners despite various challenges in the system," Tarini adds.
Currently, the Indian women’s team is ranked 69th in the world, and 13th in Asia. More recently, the Blue Tigresses also finished as the champions of the South Asian Football Federation Championships, beating Bangladesh 3-1 in the final.
As they were carrying on the momentum, the progress came to a screeching halt, as Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ long-standing policy – that requires the team to be in top eight ranking in Asia – prevented them from competing.
“The more opportunities the women's team gets to play better-ranked teams, you obviously get better and also realise where you are at the Asian level. If I were to look at the 12 teams that I think are playing the Asian Games this time, ten are better ranked than the Indian team,” the Misaka United skipper states.
“Any and every exposure to play a higher-ranked team, which is scarce for the women, is a chance to go out and test themselves at that level.”
The biggest obstacle between India and a Women's World Cup isn't talent or coaching. It's the uncertainty.
Last year, soon after India’s win over Thailand in 2025, the AIFF had promised the women footballers that the Indian Women’s League (IWL) – India’s premier league – would be organised from September 2025. The tournament did materialise, but three months later, beginning in December, and was supposed to prepare India for the AFC Women’s Asia Cup that happened in March, 2026.
“In India, since 2016 when the IWL began, not once has the club competition started on time. There is at least a month's delay. And the clubs struggle to plan their finances. In that case, how do you expect them to offer contracts, book players, stadiums, and commit to deliverables? Most of these teams don’t have academies,” Pragati Banka, India’s first female FIFA agent, told DT Next.
The scheduling chaos extends far beyond one tournament. The fixtures were crammed in such a manner that multiple games were played during a day, and teams played five of its fixtures across ten days, which is against FIFA’s recommended guideline of 72 hours rest between fixtures. As if these issues don’t already add up to the misery, there are the inexplicable kick-off times at IWL2 – 9 am and 2 pm on weekdays.
“There’s no consistent window either; sometimes these leagues begin in January, sometimes March, sometimes May and so on,” Tarini adds. As per the circular sent to the clubs, the 2026-27 season of IWL2 should have started on July 20, and the start date of IWL, the premier competition, on September 3.
Even if an official circular has come from AIFF detailing the window of time between which the leagues will happen, it never happens, Tanvie Hans, an Indian-born British footballer, told DT Next. “From a footballer's perspective, nothing feels guaranteed.” The calendar, which is the very basic thing, itself is a mess. It [leads to] such a lack of trust in the system. We don’t know what the next week will look like,” she further adds.
In response to the ongoing muddle in terms of scheduling, the AIFF said that they are working on a final agreement with the commercial partner.
“We are awaiting the final agreement with the commercial partner for IWL and IWL2. It should happen soon and then based on the broadcaster, the dates will be announced,” Satyanarayan Muthyalu, AIFF’s Deputy general secretary, told DT Next.
The IWL is not the only tournament facing this issue. The Karnataka Women’s State League, which was also scheduled to happen between July 15 to August 30, had to be cancelled due to conflicting schedules.
“It isn’t just about one competition; a tournament getting postponed has a ripple effect on the rest of the season,” Kathleen de Saran, Kemp Football Club’s president, told DT Next.
“If a tournament gets postponed by a week or two, it is still manageable. But if it gets postponed indefinitely, it is worrying. Especially in the IWL 2 or super division, you can’t do anything. You either carry on the camp and bear that extra expense or cancel it altogether and put all the planning at risk. Extra costs incurred cannot be adjusted. If a one-month camp becomes two, you do the math.”
Every postponement isn’t just an administrative delay. In Tarini’s case, it meant resigning twice from her high-paying job, only to watch the tournament move farther away.
“Although I do manage [playing] the state leagues along with my job, when you do qualify for a National League [IWL and IWL2], it is demanding and it is difficult to manage both. Both times that I've quit, unfortunately, there have been severe postponements to the announced dates,” Tarini said.
It isn’t too different for government-employed footballers either, who fail to secure the no-objection certificate (NOC) because of the last-minute delays and changes to the pre-released schedule.
“Even if you want to play in the national leagues, you need an NOC from your employer. There have been cases of players not getting NOC. If you go ahead and play without approval, then your job is at risk,” Pragati, who handles a lot of talent in the country, said.
The stop-start nature of the league is a deterrent to investment, and certainly sends across a demoralising message to not just the players but also the private entities who are promoting women’s football.
“We can't talk to sponsors without knowing the tournament dates. Their marketing or CSR teams need time to plan their budgets. Scouting players and retaining players becomes a challenge. They want to know when they need to block their time. Many of them are working or studying in college and school,” Kathleen states.
“Football is a part of their life but not their whole life.”
“There’s no lack of talent in the country; women’s football exists because of passion, not money or structure.”
It is a statement from five years ago. The irony is, the situation is still the same.
In an interview with ‘The Bridge’ back in 2021, Tanvie spoke about the system and how the grit of women’s footballers in the country has enabled the sport to exist despite all the shortcomings.
The 36-year-old knows it better than anyone, having played for Tottenham Hotspur in FA Women’s Super League from 2013 and had a brief stint with Fulham LFC. It wasn’t the quality of football that stood out there but the sense of player security and clarity.
“Back in the UK [playing for Tottenham], there was a sense of security for the footballers, as you knew when you signed a contract with the club for a season, you were guaranteed a minimum of 10 months of football, with games every weekend,” Tanvie recalls.
“You are also guaranteed training, and even pre-season games. Apart from that, they also closely look at our diet. At this point, all of these seem like an add-on here in India,” Tanvie adds.
Women's football remains a profession only for a select few. For everyone else, survival often means travelling from one State league to another, piecing together enough appearances to earn a living before the next tournament is postponed.
Most people are still living off a promise.
“I think that statement (from 2021) still holds true. Women’s football exists today purely because of sacrifices that the women make at every stage, as the schedule is not guaranteed, income is not guaranteed, and any kind of monetary security is not guaranteed,” the midfielder says.
Tarini adds: “Unless you travel from State to State and play multiple leagues in the year and also play the National League, you can’t make football your career in India.”
Pragati breaks down the economics in a simpler manner. Only players playing at the national team are able to demand anywhere between Rs 2-3 lakh and Rs 12 lakh, depending on talent and experience. Most of them don’t even get Rs 1 lakh for the entire season, which runs anywhere between a month to two, which forces them to look for other means of livelihood.
Either most of the youngsters sacrifice their education to strive to fulfil their dream, or leave the sport in search of a better life. In the case of the former, they are left with nowhere to go after the curtain falls on their career.
“Which shouldn’t be the case. They should be pursuing education side by side, in order to have something to fall back on. I work alongside Aditi Chauhan, and one thing that we always keep in mind is that these players should realise what the different career options are available to them to fall back on,” Pragati reveals.
It brings us back to Tanvie’s argument, that the sport is still driven by passion. “So if they're still choosing to play the sport, it's purely from a place of passion.”
Passion of not just the players but also club owners, like Kathleen, who runs Bengaluru-based Kemp Football Club, which has teams across divisions, including the Super Division.
“Our club is self-funded. We were six parents who started this project four years ago. Some of our children still play football professionally, some of them are playing recreationally. When we started it, the idea was to provide a platform for the talent and build the ecosystem step-by-step. But there’s only so much we can do,” she says.
But over the years, that passion project has now turned into a full-scale project, including academies that help with grassroots-level development in the country. The cost doesn’t end there for Kemp FC, which also has to take care of the players’ accommodation, nutrition, and ensure a safe and secure environment where the players do not have a lot to worry about apart from football.
“In terms of cost, all of this is somewhere between Rs 12 to 15 lakh per season. And that is when we started four years back; it's Rs 20+ lakh already, because year-on-year costs keep increasing."
"In the IWL2, we ended up spending Rs 40 lakh+ without cutting corners. We have heard that IWL clubs are spending upwards of Rs 70 lakh, but we aren’t sure,” says Kathleen, breaking down what it takes to run a women’s national football club in the country.
Tanvie adds that while a few clubs indeed provide all necessary facilities for the talent, there’s still a dearth in terms of the basic requirements, such as washrooms and basic hygiene facilities for women in the country.
“A child starts with a football as a Christmas gift in the UK – it is in their culture. Every few kilometres, there’s a public park with facilities to train and play football,” Tanvie says.
“So to access the sport at multiple levels, whether it be at a semi-professional or a professional level, or even recreational level, there are so many options over there. And of course, the facilities are FIFA quality. I do appreciate the handful of clubs that support women’s football here in India, but those clubs are going beyond the system.”
“Our situation is such that even the most basic of things – like washrooms – aren't available at all the venues. Honestly, that’s the kind of sacrifices and trouble that the women’s footballers have to go through.”
Then there is the elephant in the room: cricket and its popularity in the country, which influences marketing decisions.
“The biggest challenge is cricket. Brands don’t think beyond cricket in the country. Talk to any brand manager, they are investing in cricket. It is a safe investment. Women's football is not on their radar. Every brand wants a return of investment, views, fans, and followers on social media. But football is a whole ecosystem that too needs support,” says Kathleen.
Despite a world of problems against them, women’s footballers in the country aren’t ready to give up. On the contrary, they are fighting for their rights, now more than ever. It isn’t the talent pool or the facilities that are failing them, but the uncertainty of the system.
“Can you imagine how Indian women’s football will perform if the system supports us? I truly believe that our country is capable of being in the top 20 within the next four years if it's supported well,” Tanvie said.
“And only if they are supported end-to-end. However, the players shouldn’t have to worry about anything apart from just football,” she concludes.
For a clear World Cup pathway, the Indian women’s team needs better exposures against top teams, pitted against the best in Asia, taking part in the AFC Asia Cup. But what it requires more than exposure is
A calendar that arrives on time
A league that begins as promised
Contracts where commitments are honoured
Clubs that can play beyond just postponements
The talent is there, and the results have already begun to show. What remains unclear is whether the system is ready to recognise India’s best opportunity to reach the World Cup before that opportunity dwindles with lost time.