CHENNAI: Almost two decades ago, when a young Sangita Basfore first forayed into football, she had little to no idea that a World Cup existed. Cut to 2026, Basfore is part of an historic senior women’s Indian football team that qualified to the ongoing AFC Women’s Asian Cup in merit and have the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup through this competition. In fact, it was her contribution that helped the Blue Tigresses take the important leap. She scored a memorable brace against Thailand in a crunch qualification match in Thailand in June 2025.
The AFC Asian Cup in Australia serves as the qualifying tournament to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. But their journey was not easy. The team in the previous Asian Cup in 2022 in India had to withdraw due to a COVID outbreak then. “When we went to play against Thailand (last June), we remembered how we got relegated (to the qualifiers after 2022). All the players in the squad thought that we should not miss the chance to qualify for the tournament and we should not miss it. We also got motivation from there. I think that is also a part of qualifying for the World Cup,” she told this daily on Monday.
Now, they would rub shoulders against few of the best talents the continent has produced. Basfore, who was one of the draw assistants of the Women’s Asian Cup, could not contain her excitement when India were drawn with the likes of Japan and Chinese Taipei. “From that day onwards, we started preparing for where we would have to work as a team and how we would have to play. We started observing all the teams and how we would have to plan against them,” she recalled.
The last few weeks has been more of a learning curve for the 29-year-old midfield lynchpin, with the arrival of new coach Amelia Valverde. Training in varying conditions from the cold weather in Turkiye to the warm climes in Perth in the lead-up to the Asian tournament has been rather the experience. “When we learnt that our new coach was coming, we were excited to focus on our performance and qualify for the World Cup. We gave our 100% in every training and match. We treated everyone equally and gave them equal chances to play. We had a good time with them and we will continue to do so in the future,” she explained.
Valverde comes with an impressive CV. She has led her home nation Costa Rica to two World Cups — one in 2015 and one in 2023. She has come into the squad and seemingly has had a impact in every player's mind. Basfore for one, felt that her approach in the training pitch, and equal treatment of players has been a breathe of fresh air. “We get a lot of motivation from what she says. She treats everyone equally. That helps the players in a big way. Everyone has a friendly feeling with her,” she said.
Basfore, being one of India’s key players, will shoulder a lot of expectations, from her key position in midfield. “After so many years, things are going well in the women's football team.”
And she would do anything to let that continue.