India will face Lebanon in their final Group B match at the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2026, with a victory potentially securing their first-ever progression to the tournament's knockout stage.

The match is scheduled for Friday at 13:00 IST at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8.

Despite losses to Australia (0-2) and Japan (0-3), India remain contenders as one of the two best third-placed teams. They currently hold a goal difference of -5, superior to the Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14) from Group C, who meet on the tournament’s final day. Either side would need a heavy win to surpass India’s goal difference if India defeat Lebanon.

Furthermore, if the Group A match between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or Myanmar wins by fewer than three goals, India will secure a quarter-final place regardless of the Group C result.

Goalkeeper Munni, following a training session, stated, “Tomorrow is our last match of the group stage, and if we win, we will qualify. The feeling after training is good. We believe we can win this match. So, we need to stay fully focused on it.”

Munni, who was a standout player against Japan, reflected, “In both matches, especially the last one, I had to work a lot and stay very busy. Against Japan, we defended really well for around 60 minutes, and that itself was a big thing. We could have done even better against Australia, too. Overall, we performed well in both games.” She added, “Personally, the Japan match was probably the most difficult match of my life, but also one of my best. I played well, even though goals were conceded. Those things happen in football.”

India, participating in their first AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in 21 years, seek to make history by advancing beyond the group stage. Munni emphasised, “We have to play thinking about India and give our all for the country.” She acknowledged Lebanon as a more evenly matched opponent than previous teams, stating, “The previous two teams were very tough, but Lebanon are nearer to our level, and we respect them but believe we can beat them. Their strikers are good, so we need to stay alert. We need to attack with discipline, and we believe we can score goals against them.”

Head coach Pamela Conti anticipates a different challenge against Lebanon compared to Australia and Japan. She noted, “I watched Lebanon’s game against Australia that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have very good attacking players. We need to be careful and not open up too much, because they can hurt us on the counter-attack. It will be a very intelligent game, and we must remember it’s 90 minutes. It’s a match where everything is at stake.” Lebanon are making their tournament debut, having started with a 0-13 loss to Japan before earning a 1-1 draw with Australia.

India's approach will now require more attacking intent. The team has worked on tactical and set-piece drills and small-sided games in training. Centre-back Elizabed Lakra said, “We are feeling great after training. We will give our full effort to win the game and qualify for the quarter-finals.” She added, “In training, we worked on how to attack and also how to defend our goal against the way they attack. We practised those situations. In the first two matches, we had to defend a lot. But now, in the next match, we need to score goals because it’s simple – either we win, or we go home. We are going with that mindset.”

Elizabed continued, “Our role as a team tomorrow will be to attack as much as possible because we need goals. Even if we win by one goal, we have a great chance to make it into the last eight. So, we will try to score as many goals as possible because we want to reach the quarter-finals.”