Meeting the Vietnamese team, Indian female footballer dreams of World Cup ticket

From the very start of the qualifying campaign, while the Indian women's team's short-term aim was to compete in the Asian Cup, Sangita Basfore's outlook reached beyond. To her, the Asian Cup was never the end goal but a door leading to the World Cup.

It was a coincidence that the Indian team officially advanced, thanks to Sangita's decisive brace against Thailand in the qualifying match. That feeling was not like the end of a journey but rather the beginning of a true mission.

That forward-thinking mindset continues to shape Sangita Basfore's approach, as the Indian team arrived earlier than all opponents in Group C to maximize preparation time and acclimatize to the weather conditions. For Sangita, the message within the team has remained unchanged from the qualifiers to the finals.

"Since the start of the Asian Cup qualifiers last year, the whole team had only one thought: to secure a World Cup spot. But that was just one step. Now our moment has come, and with the first match on March 4th, all focus is on that game. If we win, confidence will grow, and that momentum will carry through the remaining matches. Everyone on the team understands clearly that we must take it one match at a time."

The Indian team has been training together for over a month, including a camp in Turkey before coming to Australia. The sudden climate shift, from cold winter to warm Australian weather, made arriving early not only logistically convenient but also professionally necessary.

"That was very important. We have been together for 45 days. Before that, we trained in Turkey, where the weather was very cold, while here it's completely different, much warmer. So, arriving early gave us a very good opportunity to adapt. It was quite tough at first, but now we are getting used to the heat and performing better. The decision to come early for adjustment time was the right choice."

Sangita Basfore's personal role in helping the Indian team reach this stage has become one of the most memorable moments not only of the campaign but also in Indian football history.

"That was not just my effort but the whole team's work. If my teammates hadn't passed to me at the right moments, I might not have scored. So, the credit belongs to the entire team, the coaching staff, and all the players."

After that, there were many interviews and attention, but for me, that was just part of the experience. It was a beautiful moment, and now I just want to continue performing well for the national team and go further in my career.

"We never thought we couldn't do it, and that belief remains the same. Whether at the dinner table or on the training ground, we always talk about taking it step by step. To reach the World Cup, we first have to play at least four matches, so right now the focus is solely on the first one."

Besides tactical preparation and adapting to match conditions, the team is also getting used to the new coaching staff under Amelia Valverde. For Sangita, the most important things are fairness and opportunities for all players.

"Coach Amelia has been here for over a month. Every coach has a different way of thinking about handling and using players. What I like about her is that she gives everyone a chance and treats all players equally."

"That is very good for the team. So far, we have mainly shown it in training, and now we need to prove it in the matches. The coach is doing her job, preparing us, and now the rest depends on us on the field."

From dreaming of the World Cup during the qualifiers, to scoring the goals that pushed India forward, and now fully focusing on the March 4th match against Vietnam, Sangita always lives for the goal ahead. The tournament ticket was never the finish line; it only proves that a bigger goal still lies ahead.

The match between the Vietnamese team and India will take place at 18:00 tomorrow, March 4th.

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