India u-17 girls to play Sweden, Thailand

India will take on Sweden and Thailand in an international friendly tournament at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai in December.

The AIFF is keen on laying emphasis on the quality of the opposition for the Indian girls in preparation ahead of next year's U-17 World Cup.

India U-17 women's football team is all set to take on Sweden and Thailand in an international friendly tournament in preparation for next year's home FIFA U-17 women's World Cup.

The tournament held at the Mumbai Football Arena being organised under UEFA Assist in collaboration with AFC comes right after the recently-concluded Hero U-17 women's Championship that took place in Kalyani, which saw a total of 73 players divided into four teams playing against each other. Alex Ambrose-coached Lionesses emerged victorious in the final.

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AIFF general secretary Kushal Das spoke about the importance of competition as part of the build-up for next year's World Cup, laying emphasis on the "quality of opposition" the Indian U-17 girls will face.

"It is the first time an International tournament for girls in being hosted in India and I'm really looking forward to it. With the FIFA World Cup on the horizon this will be a great opportunity for the Indian team to the likes of Sweden and Thailand. I wish the teams all the best for the competition," he said.

India U-17 World Cup coach Thomas Dennerby felt the tournament will “benefit the team immensely.”

“It is very important to play international friendlies against strong opponents. It helps us to learn more about decision making in crunch situations, besides helping us to maintain the pace of the game,” he maintained.

“The players and all the staff are very much looking forward to the tournament. It is an acid test which was very much needed.”

Sweden ranks as one of the top nations in the world in women's football, with its senior side finishing third in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 in France -- which was also the fourth time in eight editions that it finished in the top four of the global extravaganza.

Thailand too, is considered to be one of the top nations in Asia in women's football, with the nation having secured consecutive qualifications for the last two FIFA Women's World Cups along with a fourth-place finish at the AFC women's Asian Cup 2018 in Jordan.