SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship 2025

A campaign that began with fire

India’s intentions were clear from the opening whistle of their first match. Against Nepal, they tore through the defence and finished with a 7-0 win. Nira Chanu Longjam struck first, Pearl Fernandes scored twice, and Divyani Linda added two of her own. By the end of that night, India had already made a statement: this was a team ready to take control.

The momentum didn’t stop there. They brushed aside Bangladesh with a controlled 2-0 performance, then dismantled Bhutan 8-0. More wins followed — 5-0 against Nepal, 5-0 against Bhutan again — and by the time they stepped out for the final game, India had five wins from five matches, 27 goals scored, and none conceded. The numbers were staggering. Fifteen points on the board, a lead no one could touch.

The final twist

Football rarely follows a script, and the final match against Bangladesh proved that. India had already secured the championship, but Bangladesh struck early and often, racing to a lead. At 1-3 down, it looked as if the unbeaten run was about to collapse.

But this team had something else in them. Fourteen-year-old Anushka Kumari, already the tournament’s standout striker, scored again to spark hope. Pritika Barman added another, and then captain Julan Nongmaithem produced a stunning chip from distance to level it 3-3 in the 89th minute. The comeback was breathtaking, the spirit undeniable.

Bangladesh eventually scored in injury time to seal a 4-3 win, and for the first time in the tournament, India walked off the pitch without a victory. Some players cried. Others held each other in silence. But the bigger picture was clear — the title was already theirs. A single defeat did not erase the story of the past three weeks.

The names behind the numbers

This was a tournament of individuals rising to the occasion, each leaving their mark on the pitch.

At the front was Anushka Kumari, who scored eight goals in six matches, including a hat-trick against Bhutan. At just 14, she walked away as the tournament’s top scorer, her finishing calm beyond her years.

In midfield, Abhista Basnett was the engine and the artist, combining four goals with three assists. Her ability to dictate play earned her the award for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Between the posts, Meghla Rani Roy showed composure and consistency, winning Best Goalkeeper. And across the field, players like Pearl Fernandes, Nira Chanu Longjam, Divyani Linda, Pritika Barman and Julan Nongmaithem turned chances into statements.

India didn’t just win because of one star. They won because the entire squad was tuned to the same rhythm.

More than just a trophy

This was India’s third title in the history of the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship, after victories in 2018 and 2019. But this one feels different. It comes at a time when women’s football in India is searching for momentum, and when global women’s football is accelerating faster than ever.

The win proves that India’s pipeline of talent is alive and growing. It shows that players from Jharkhand, Manipur, Goa, and beyond can come together and outplay their South Asian rivals. And it sets a standard: not just to win, but to win with goals, flair, and fearlessness.

What comes next

For coach Joakim Alexandersson and his staff, this title is both a reward and a challenge. The AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers are around the corner, where the opposition will be sharper, the stage bigger, and the margins thinner. The experience in Bhutan was a beginning, not the end.

The job now is to build on this success — to keep these players in competitive environments, to give them exposure to tougher tournaments, and to make sure the promise of today becomes the performance of tomorrow.

A glimpse of the future

As the team left Bhutan with medals around their necks, there was a sense that something had shifted. Indian football has had its share of false dawns, but this one feels different because it has been written not in hope, but in goals.

Fifty-three goals were scored across the tournament; India accounted for more than half of them. Five wins, one loss, and three major individual awards. And behind every statistic is a story of a girl who chose to dream with a football at her feet.

The SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship 2025 will be remembered not for the final scoreline against Bangladesh, but for the bigger statement India made: that the future of Indian football is already taking shape, and it looks fearless.