Head coaches review inspiring past months to plan a brighter Indian football future

BENGALURU: The four head coaches of the Indian national men's and women's football teams across various age groups looked back at their recently successful campaigns and the road ahead on Friday.

Senior men's national team head coach Khalid Jamil, senior women's national team head coach Crispin Chettri, U23 men's head coach Naushad Moosa, and U23 and U17 women's head coach Joakim Alexandersson provided detailed insights into their teams' preparations, strategies, and upcoming challenges.

The session was attended by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, Vice President NA Haris, and Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan, who shared their perspectives on the growing stature of Indian football on the international stage.

The senior men's national team has returned with the bronze medal from their maiden appearance at the CAFA Nations Cup, and will now begin their camp for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Final Round Qualifiers, where they will face Singapore twice (on October 9 in Singapore and on October 14 in Goa).

"The CAFA Nations Cup was a great platform where our boys showed character, and now our full focus is on the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore," said Jamil.

"I humbly request all clubs to extend their cooperation in releasing players for national camps,  as their participation is vital for the preparation and success of not just the national team, but for all of Indian football." He added.

The Indian senior women's team had, earlier this year, secured qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, making 2026 the first edition that the Blue Tigresses will feature in the main tournament, having legitimately earned their spot.

"Securing qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup was a proud moment for Indian football, and a testament to the hard work and resilience of our players," said Chettri.

"Our focus now is on preparing with intensity and discipline, so that we can compete strongly against Asia's best on the continental stage. We aim to perform well at the Asian Cup, which could pave the way for our qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil." 

Six out of the 12 nations participating in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027.

The India U23 men's team was just a few goals away from qualifying for the AFC U23 Asian Cup, finishing second in their group and fifth among the 11 second-placed finishers.

The four best second-placed teams earned qualification. However, all is not over for head coach Naushad Moosa and the boys, as they continue their good work in preparation for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) next year.

"Missing out on qualification by such a narrow margin is painful, but this campaign has given our players invaluable experience at this level. Right now, everyone is hurting, and that's natural, but it also fuels our determination," said Moosa.

"Our focus now shifts to the Asian Games next year, where our goal is to build a team capable of competing strongly and achieving big results against top opponents and make our country proud." Moosa talked about future goals.

Joakim Alexandersson has been given the dual role of leading the U20 and the U17 women's teams. While he has already done his bit for now with the U20s, helping them qualify for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup, his task with the U17s is only half done so far, after winning the SAFF U17 Women's Championship in Bhutan.

"Qualifying for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup was a fantastic achievement for the girls, and winning the SAFF U17 Championship showed the depth of talent coming through. Our next challenge is to carry this momentum forward with the U17s as we aim to secure qualification on the continental stage, and give these girls the best possible platform to grow," said Alexandersson.