India U20 Women to Face Australia in AFC U20 Asian Cup

By: WE Staff | Monday, 6 April 2026

• India U20 women’s national team takes on Australia in their second match in Group C
• The game is being held as part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U20 Women's Asian Cup Thailand 2026
• The match will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2026, at 14:30 IST

Against Australia, India will be playing match two of the 'AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup (Thailand)' International Tournament on Saturday, April 5, 2026 at the Pathum Thani Stadium, at 14:30 IST in Thailand.

The Indian squad's next challenge follows their loss to the Japanese team (0-6) and the focus of the Indian players for their next match and their approach with the lessons learned from their previous matches.

According to Joakim Alexandersson-India's head coach, the most important part of the Indian squad preparing for this match is mental fortitude. Additionally, he noted that India's performance during the first period against Japan was commendable.

India's first game included several strong points that result from a good performance will help prepare India for the remainder of the tournament.

Joakim emphasized the necessity of delivering a more robust mental game to the players as much of his attention in the past has been regarding improvement in a physical battle and when fatigued to enhance their competitiveness in one-on-one situations and further develop self-belief when in possession of the ball.

In the second match-up against India, the opponent has already shown their capability by easily defeating Chinese Taipei (5-0) in their first game, which will present a unique physical challenge. The Indian team plays a style of hockey similar to Japan but is more focused on physicality.

Alexandersson stated that to match India's speed, composure of the ball and defensive intensity, their focus will need to be on all three aspects for the 80 minutes of the game.

The next round of matches will occur in the afternoon, rather than evening like the first for India, but the players will be able to adjust due to experience playing in hot weather.

The remainder of Group C will be competitive, with two additional matches against both Australia and Chinese Taipei left to play in the tournament to qualify for a position in the semi-finals. Only two teams in Group C