Zinc Football Academy’s (ZFA) goalkeeper Sonam Ghosh has earned another major milestone in her young career after being selected in India’s 23-member U-17 squad for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers. The 15-year-old goalkeeper has been named in the squad announced by head coach Joakim Alexandersson, as the Young Tigresses look to secure back-to-back AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifications for the very first time. India has been drawn in Group E and will begin their qualification campaign against Iraq on October 5, followed by a match against Syria on October 8 before taking on host Malaysia on October 11.
Only the group winners will advance to the final tournament. Sonam’s selection comes after an impressive season in which she has continued to establish herself as one of the promising young goalkeepers in the country emerging from ZFA’s one-of-a kind girls’ programme. The Young Tigresses then hosted two closed-door friendlies against the Philippines national team. It reinforces Hindustan Zinc’s commitment to creating opportunities for young girls to pursue football at the highest levels.
All three matches will be played at the MP Selayang Stadium in Selayang, Malaysia, with the Young Tigresses scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on October 2. Earlier this year, she played a key role in Zinc Football Academy’s successful campaign in the Rajasthan Senior Women’s League, while also being part of the team that reached the semi-finals of the inaugural AIFF U-17 Women’s Youth League. The young goalkeeper has now featured in multiple India U-17 camps and was also part of the squad that travelled to Tashkent last month for two international friendly matches against Uzbekistan. With Sonam now set to represent India in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, her journey adds another milestone to the rapid rise of ZFA’s girls’ football programme.
