New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) The Indian senior women’s team will participate in the FIFA Series 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, during the April FIFA International Women’s Match Window.
The Blue Tigresses will face hosts Kenya in the semifinal on April 11 at 20:30 IST, while Australia and Malawi will play the other semifinal earlier that day at 16:30 IST. The semifinal winners and losers will clash in the final and the third-place play-off, respectively, on April 15. Any match that ends in a draw will go straight to a penalty shootout, with no extra time. All matches will take place at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Among the four participants, India are the second-highest ranked side in the FIFA world rankings at 67th. Australia are ranked 15th, while Kenya and Malawi, the two African sides, are 133rd and 153rd, respectively.
Launched in 2024, the FIFA Series is an international friendly tournament that features national teams from separate confederations. The purpose of the FIFA Series is to facilitate meaningful friendly matches between national teams from different confederations that would not normally compete against one another. As per FIFA, the ultimate objective of the FIFA Series is to allow more international football interaction, making a concrete contribution to global football development.
Earlier this month, India bowed out of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 after suffering a 1-3 defeat against Chinese Taipei in their last Group C match at the Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Chinese Taipei led 2-1 at half-time.
In 2022, the Indian team’s World Cup dream came to a grinding halt in their own backyard when it had to pull out of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 because of a Covid-19 outbreak in the side. However, the side came up with a magnificent performance in the qualifiers last year, for the first time qualifying for the Asian Cup on merit.
FIFA Series 2026 Kenya Match Schedule:
Semifinal 1 — 16:30 IST, April 11: Australia vs Malawi
Semifinal 2 — 20:30 IST, April 11: Kenya vs India
Third-place match — 16:30 IST, April 15
Final — 20:30 IST, April 15
Venue: Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya.
