Key Highlights
- The veteran defender pointed out that all three national teams — Under-17, Under-19 and the senior side — have qualified for their respective AFC Asian Championships, making 2026 a potentially defining year for the women’s game in India.
- “Under-17, Under-19 and the senior team have already qualified for AFC (competitions).
- If we do well there, obviously our dream of the World Cup is still alive,” she said.
- One of the most capped players in Indian women’s football history, Ashalata — who has earned over 100 international caps and captained the national side on multiple occasions — said the (senior) team has made steady progress but is still short of world-class standards.
- “We have been doing better for a long time, but still according to world-class levels, we are not there yet.
