Target isn't just Asian Cup, but also World Cup: Sangita Basfore

Chiang Mai (Thailand), June 26 -- For the Blue Tigresses, the AFC Women's Asian Cup isn't only about playing with the elites of the continent, but also a road to the FIFA Women's World Cup.

"Our target is the World Cup," echoed midfielder Sangita Basfore. "The AFC qualifiers feel like World Cup qualifiers. We all want to qualify for Brazil."

For the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027, the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 serves as the qualifier, with the top six teams from the tournament securing their berths in the 32-team World Cup.

The first hurdle is these AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Chiang Mai, where India made the perfect start with a 13-0 demolition of Mongolia on Monday. The opening goal took less than eight minutes ...