Vietnam's national team rival in the Asian tournament aims to secure a spot in the 2027 World Cup

Midfielder Sangita Basfore of India's women's team has shown strong resolve to excel at the Asian finals to earn a ticket to the 2027 World Cup.

Ahead of the 2026 Asian final round taking place, midfielder Sangita Basfore of India's women's team believes that reaching the final has ignited a fire within the squad:

“Thanks to the qualifiers, we now have confidence in our quality and are approaching the finals with the goal of advancing India deep into the tournament. We know we are a strong team and want to prove that in Australia,” she stated.

The Indian women's team will begin their Group C campaign facing Vietnam’s women's team before taking on Japan, four-time champions, and Taiwan, three-time champions. Despite being ranked significantly lower than the other Group C opponents, midfielder Basfore remains optimistic about the challenging journey ahead, with the prize being the prestigious qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027.

“We recognize the quality and higher rankings of our opponents, and we respect them,” she said. “But we also want to prove that we are fully capable and will prepare thoroughly.”

“Every player dreams of playing at the World Cup, and after many years, we finally have a real chance to make that dream come true. On behalf of the entire team, I promise we will give our all and hope the fans will support us so we can establish India’s position on the world women's football map,” Basfore affirmed.

The first Group C match between India and Vietnam’s women's national team will take place at 18:00 on March 4 in the host country Australia. Afterwards, coach Mai Đức Chung’s team will face Taiwan and Japan on March 7 and 10 respectively.