For Sangita Basfore, belief is at the centre of everything she does nowadays. The 29-year-old midfielder from Kalyani, West Bengal, was very close to hanging up her boots last year, but changed her decision at the last minute. The thought of not leaving behind a legacy that would live on long after she was gone didn’t allow her to walk away. Rather, she was determined to do something that had never happened before.
It wasn’t just her ambition; the other seniors – Grace Dangmei, Pyari Xaxa, Anju Tamang and others held the same view. And this belief has
changed the story of the Indian women’s football team forever.
These women footballers, who have always struggled for the tiniest of spaces in the spotlight, became trailblazers last year when they helped the Blue Tigresses qualify for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup on merit for the first time ever.
Basfore’s belief became India’s dream
Basfore was the biggest driving force behind that belief and dream. India booked a spot in the AFC Asian Cup after topping a qualifying group that included Timor-Leste, Iraq, Mongolia and Thailand. They qualified by beating higher-ranked Thailand 2-1 in the final game, with both goals coming from Basfore.
The goal that wrote #IndianFootball history and took us to #WAC2026 ✍️🇮🇳🤩
Nirmala’s delivery 💫
Shilky’s set-up 🅰️
Sangita ✅ right place at the right time🎥 credits: FA Thailand#THAIND #BlueTigresses pic.twitter.com/1wx3h6OITV
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) July 8, 2025
While Thailand had been part of World Cups in 2015 and 2019, India now have a chance
to qualify for their first-ever FIFA World Cup, across men’s and women’s categories, if they reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup 2026.
After creating magic for India in Chiang Mai during the qualifiers, Basfore now has chance to repeat the heroics for India in Australia as they face Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan in Group C. And while India have never reached a World Cup, Basfore didn’t shy away from underlining her and the team’s ambition even though she was cautious with the words she used during an exclusive interaction with Firstpost before the first match against Vietnam in Perth on 4 March.
“The dream is definitely the World Cup,” Basfore told Firstpost. “But right now, we want to move forward game by game. Every match is important for us. Our biggest focus right now is the first match and we are ready for it.”
This seemed like a good time to ask Basfore about her intention to retire last year, and how she made the U-turn.
“As senior players, we felt that younger players should also get opportunities,” Basfore revealed. “Before we leave, we wanted to do something for them. If we had not qualified, then today the Under-20 and Under-17 women’s teams might not have qualified either.
“Because of our motivation and example, the younger teams were also inspired. Of course, their performances mattered too. But when one woman’s team moves forward, younger players move forward with them. That was very important for us. It creates good opportunities for them in the future. If we qualify for the World Cup, then in upcoming tournaments like the Asian Cup, they can perform even better.”
Sangita’s dream that refused to fade away
If the World Cup happens, it would be history, the pinnacle not just for Basfore, but the whole of India. Yes, the Asian Cup is not bad. It’s still a highly admirable rise for a teenager whose parents didn’t want her to play the sport.
“When I was young, I lived in Gandhi Quarters in Kalyani. There was a small nine-a-side ground there. My uncle, who used to play for the professional club Mohun Bagan (Vijay Basfore), would come during holidays and train young boys there. After school or tuition, I would go there and sit and watch. At that time, I only knew that football existed, nothing more. Whenever I got time, I started playing with the ball. My uncle later told my mother that I was a good player and requested her to allow me to practice,” she shared.
“In 2007, I played in the school nationals. I also have another uncle who is deaf and cannot speak, but he also played football. He took me to the ground and told my mother that women’s football also exists. I did not even know that women’s football existed before that. Initially, my parents were hesitant because I would be the only girl playing among boys. But I insisted that I wanted to play football and that I could achieve something through it.
“My biggest motivation was to help my family and improve our financial background. I believed football could help me do that, and today it has. My family is happy because of football. I have never made them feel that choosing football was the wrong decision. Because of football, I also got a job. In 2017, I joined the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). My family is very happy about that, and I feel the proudest when I wear the national team jersey.”
Basfore’s daring helped her family improve their financial condition, and it also gave dreams to more girls in Kalyani.
“When I go back to Kalyani, it makes me happy to see that girls are growing in the sport. Football for girls is still being played there and players are emerging from the region. In the coming years, I believe more players will come from Kalyani, Kolkata and West Bengal. There are many talented girls in West Bengal and many good upcoming players.”
A good performance in the Asian Cup will only magnify the positive impact of Basfore and her teammates’ hard work. And to do so, they have been working hard under new coach Amelia Valverde, who coached Costa Rica to the FIFA World Cup in 2015 and 2023.
“Amelia is a very good coach. She has always motivated us, telling us that we can do anything and that we are not inferior to anyone. In every training session and every match, she tells us to believe that this is the best match of our lives and to play accordingly. She personally told me that she believes in me and that I can do it for the team,” said Basfore.
Beyond the emotional boost, Basfore also emphasised the tactical clarity the coach has brought to the team ahead of challenging fixtures against strong Asian opponents.
“As a team, she has worked with us on when to attack and when to defend. We have trained a lot on that. I think it has been a very good thing. Whether it is against Vietnam, Chinese Taipei or Japan — the three matches we will play — the training she has given us has been the best preparation so far. Our aim is to win. To win, we will play attacking football, but we have also worked on our defence. So we are ready for that.”
“‘We are ready for that” — just four English words, but few could sound more reassuring to fans as history beckons the India women’s national football team.
End of Article
