Historic Quarter-Final spot on the line as India face Lebanon in AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup showdown

India will face Lebanon in their last Group B fixture at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8 in China on Friday, May 8, at 13:00 IST

Hyderabad: After facing the two heavyweight sides of the group, Australia and Japan, the equation for India at the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 has now become clear. One final match and one final chance to make the quarter-finals.

India will face Lebanon in their last Group B fixture at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8 in China on Friday, May 8, at 13:00 IST, knowing that a victory could be enough to seal a historic first-ever qualification to the knockout stage of the competition.

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Goalkeeper Munni said after Thursday’s training session at Pitch 6 of the centre, “Tomorrow is our last match of the group stage, and if we win, we will qualify. The feeling after training is good. We believe we can win this match. So, we need to stay fully focused on it.”

Despite defeats against Australia (0-2) and Japan (0-3), the Young Tigresses remain alive in the race for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams. India currently hold a superior goal difference of -5 compared to Group C sides Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14), who face each other on the final matchday. That means either side would require a heavy-margin victory to overtake India’s goal difference if the Young Tigresses defeat Lebanon.

Furthermore, if Thursday evening’s Group A fixture between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or the latter wins by less than three goals, India will confirm their place in the last eight with a victory, irrespective of the Group C result.

For India, playing their first AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in 21 years, progressing beyond the group stage would mark a historic achievement.

“We have to play thinking about India and give our all for the country,” Munni said.

“The previous two teams were very tough, but Lebanon are nearer to our level, and we respect them but believe we can beat them. Their strikers are good, so we need to stay alert. We need to attack with discipline, and we believe we can score goals against them,” she said.