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          Team of the Year: In a year of crisis, three women's teams lead the way for Indian Football

          India celebrates their historic qualification direct qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup AIFF Media
          • Anish Anand
          Dec 28, 2025, 02:35 AM ET

          In 2025, we saw the absolute best and worst of Indian football.

          The men's senior national team had a horror year where they failed to qualify for a 24-team AFC Asian Cup. They are bottom of a group consisting of Singapore, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, all of them ranked below India. And to make matters worse, the All India Football Federation, has been unable to get the country's top-most league running thanks to a plethora of issues.

          But 2025 was also the year where three national teams showed how to play as a unit, step up when it mattered the most and seize the opportunity to go up a level. Those three sides are the women's national U-17, U-20 and the senior teams who have qualified for their respective AFC Asian Cup tournaments - who are ESPN India's Teams of the Year in 2025.

          The achievements are no mean feats. They are rare, and have happened on merit, without India having the privilege of being hosts. Three national teams, all playing their respective continental championships and all on merit - it is a significant achievement.

          It started in July with the senior national team. They travelled to Thailand where they beat Timor-Leste, Iraq, and Mongolia comfortably but the big test was against the home team. Thailand are not just any other team, they are a higher-ranked side and played at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA World Cup tournaments.

          And then you had to count what these players had to endure up until that point. The first time India qualified for the Asian Cup, they did it as hosts in 2022, but COVID-19 wrecked havoc as they could play only one match and were forced out of the tournament. Some of the players were part of the U-17 setup where a coach was suspended for alleged misconduct with a minor. Later there was a spate of changes in terms of coaches and the performances were so dire that they were not even the best in SAFF Championships.

          Under Crispin Chhetri and his assistant Priya PV, India started finding some form but they were still far from being favourites to go through from a group which had Thailand. But football is football because it allows miracles to happen. Two goals from Sangita Basfore earned India a stunning 2-1 win against Thailand which puts them in a tournament with Asia's best.

          Merely a month later, the juniors followed the footsteps of their seniors. This time, the India U-20 team, coached by Sweden's Joakim Alexandersson, made it to the 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup in Thailand for this first time in more than 20 years. Again, this is the first time India made it via qualification and not by direct entry.

          In their first match of the qualifiers, India were held to a goalless draw against Indonesia but won the next one against Turkmenistan 7-0. A loss against home team Myanmar would've ended their dreams but India prevailed with a 1-0 win.

          In October, the icing on the cake was provided by the U-17 team who also qualified for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup in China. Alexandersson, who was also the head coach of the team, guided them to two crucial wins against Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan which booked their ticket to China.

          It was the manner in which the youngsters sealed their qualification that truly stands out. Needing a draw against Uzbekistan, India went behind early in the match but against a stronger opponent, India didn't buckle under pressure. Thandamoni Baskey scored the equaliser in the second half and set up the winning goal for Anushka Kumari to seal the qualification for the first time.

          Looking at Indian football's current crisis, it's safe to say not many followers of the sport are optimistic about the future. And they are right in feeling that way. However, it's also safe to say there's some hope. The three women's national teams might not have achieved anything revolutionary that would fundamentally alter the course of the sport in this country. But they showed they can win against the odds and deserve to mix it with the continent's best. It is no less inspirational for a country that, this year, was left craving for some good news from this sport.