India U-17 Women to face Iraq at MP Selayang Stadium in AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on Oct 5
India U-17 women will meet Iraq U-17 women at the MP Selayang Stadium on Monday, 5 October 2026 in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, with only one team able to advance from the group.
India arrive in Malaysia aiming for a fast start after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup; the qualifying tournament runs in Malaysia from October 5 to 11 and Joakim Alexandersson’s squad is due to reach Kuala Lumpur on October 2. Alexandersson has named a 23-player roster for the qualifiers as his side seeks to qualify for a second successive edition and must take maximum points from their three group matches to do so.
Formally, India enter the game with just one win in their last five matches, a sequence Alexandersson will be looking to arrest by asking his players to control possession, play with speed and decisiveness, and adopt a positive attacking approach. The coaching staff have emphasised the need for clinical finishing, noting that a draw or defeat at the outset could damage the team’s qualification prospects.
Anushka Kumari has been identified as the focal point of India’s attacking threat; she scored a brace in India’s recent friendly victory over the Philippines U-17 and also found the net in the prior loss to the same opponent. Kumari’s role will centre on movement off the ball, quick link-up play to move the ball into danger areas, and converting opportunities inside the penalty area, despite limited game time at the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.
Iraq come into the fixture without any history of qualification for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup or a major tournament, a record that frames them as underdogs in qualification. The Iraqi side will need to maintain a compact defensive shape to disrupt India’s preferred patterns and must be effective in transitions and set-piece situations to create scoring chances; a positive result would be a notable morale boost, while a heavy defeat could be damaging to confidence.
Alexandersson’s 23-player list includes Munni (GK), Ritu Bakaik, Abhista Basnett, Ambalika Chanu, Taniya Tonambam, Thandamoni Baskey, Julan Nongmaithem, Redima Chingkhamayum, Alka Senjam, Pratika Barman and Anushka Kumari. The Iraq U-17 squad also features some of the country’s leading youth prospects, and the match will be the first-ever meeting between the India and Iraq U-17 women’s national teams.
The qualifier is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 PM IST and is expected to be streamed live on YouTube; India must secure maximum points across their three group games if they are to reach the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 for a second straight edition.