The Indian senior women’s team will be facing Islamic Republic of Iran in their first match on the opening day of the Gold Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. Along with India and Iran, the tournament will also feature the senior teams of Myanmar and Nepal.
General Secretary of the All India Football Federation, Kushal Das said, “The primary objective is to provide the best of exposure to the women’s team as they prepare for the second round of the Olympic qualifiers in April.”
“The Gold Cup is meant to provide additional opportunity for the Indian women’s national team to face other powerful teams in a competitive format. While our team has been playing in friendlies overseas, we feel hosting such a competition will boost the growing popularity of girls’ football in India. Football followers in India deserve a chance to witness our national teams in action,” Das stated.
“I need to thank the Government of Odisha and the SAI for their help,” he added.
For the record, Myanmar are ranked 44 in the Fifa Women’s Ranking, followed by Iran on 60, and Nepal on 108, while the Indian women, coached by Maymol Rocky, are in 62nd position.
It was in November that India qualified for the second round of the AFC Olympic qualifiers for the first time. The team have won their last four matches, two each against Hong Kong and Indonesia.
The fixture for the Women’s Gold Cup stay as follows:
February 9:
Myanmar vs Nepal (4 pm)
India vs IR Iran (7 pm)
February 11:
Myanmar vs IR Iran (4 pm)
India vs Nepal (7 pm)
February 13:
IR Iran vs Nepal (4 pm)
India vs Myanmar (7 pm)
February 15:
Final