Kolkata, June 24 (Representative) India have been clubbed with USA, Morocco and Brazil in Group A of the U17 Women’s World Cup India 2022, as the official draw for which was held at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich on Friday. India begin their campaign on the opening day against USA on October 11, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil on October 14, and October 17, 2022 respectively. All of India’s matches in the group stage kick-off at IST 8pm at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The tournament will be held from October 11-30, 2022. Moments after the draw, India’s head coach Thomas Dennerby opined that the team “needs to stay prepared for the tough challenge.”
“It’s a very exciting group for us. Playing against the USA and Brazil will be extremely tough as they are among the best teams in the world. Even Morocco are a very strong team from Africa. It’s a tough group, but we have to be prepared and hope to give a good fight in every game,” Dennerby said “But we also have three and a half months to prepare. So we need to work very hard every day in our training sessions.” “When you are playing in a World Cup, you need to aim to take points and qualify for the quarterfinals,” he added. “If we can manage that, it will be sensational.” Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the draw, FIFA president Giani Infantino stated, “This draw not only marks an important milestone for India as a host nation but also for the global football community as we continue to return to normal after the global pandemic. This tournament is now able to take place securely, is a testament to the hard work of all those who were able to make this tournament possible.” “As a direct result of this tournament, a new generation of young women will be inspired to follow the footsteps of those they see playing in the tournament, and will be created,” he continued. “We saw in 2017 when India hosted a record-breaking edition of the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup, and in 2022 I am certain we will see that again. Such an impact will always last long after the final ball is kicked.”
Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur said, “It is a matter of extreme pride and responsibility for our nation to host her first-ever FIFA women’s tournament – the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup! To all the teams, I welcome you all to our beautiful and vibrant nation. May you mesmerise the audience when you come to India.” “This is a special tournament for women’s sport in our country as we firmly believe this event will inspire more young women to make sports a gender-inclusive playing field,” he averred. India’s fixtures in the group stage are as follows: October 11: Ind vs USA (8 pm IST, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar). October 14: Ind vs Morocco (8 pm IST, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar). October 17: Brazil vs Ind (8 pm IST, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar).