India Qualifies for AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup Quarterfinals

India qualified for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals with a commanding 4-0 victory against Lebanon in their final Group B fixture on Friday. The win marked India's first victory in the competition in over two decades and secured their spot in the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed teams alongside Thailand.

Pritika Barman scored twice, while Alva Devi Senjam and Joya added one goal each to seal the win at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre.

India finished the group stage with three points and a goal difference of -1, significantly higher than the Philippines' -13 in Group C.

The team will face hosts China, who topped Group A with nine points, in the quarterfinal on Monday. A win in the quarterfinal would secure qualification to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco, which would be India's first FIFA World Cup qualification on merit at any level, men's or women's.

The court will not be involved in this matter, however, the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup will continue with the quarterfinal matches, and India's next match against China is scheduled for Monday.