FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup kicks off today. India to take on USA in first match

The Indian women's U-17 football team is making its debut in FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup (Image credit: IndianFootball/Twitter)

The Indian women's U-17 team will make its debut in the U-17 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, October 11, at the Kalinga Stadium.

Held across three venues in Bhubaneswar, Goa, and Navi Mumbai, India is in Group A along with heavyweights Brazil, the USA, and Morocco.

Just hours to go for #U17WWC#BackTheBlue#ShePower#IndianFootballpic.twitter.com/cm6Wqe7mjn

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 10, 2022

India kicks things off against the United States at 8 pm and will look to put on a good show.

The 16-team event is a three-week-long knockout tournament, with the final scheduled to be played on October 30. The team's head coach is Swedish football manager Thomas Dennerby.

The Swede addressed the media on Monday as part of the official pre-match press conference and laid down his expectation for today's opener against the USA.

We have a team that is hard to score against, says Dennerby ahead of World Cup opener against USA Read https://t.co/zYnTOY8CxN FIFA#U17WWC#BackTheBlue#ShePower#IndianFootballpic.twitter.com/C4x41frCar — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 10, 2022

"We have a team that we know can defend very well. Tomorrow, one thing that everyone should be able to see is how hard it will be to score against us. If we utilize the chances we create, we can come out with points. The USA will come as the favourites but it's all on paper. Our focus is on our game plan. If we have our best day and score an early goal, it will be good for us," he was quoted as saying on AIFF's official website.

Team captain defender Astam Oraon, who hails from the Gumla district of Jharkhand, said the team was excited for their big game.

Head Coach Thomas Dennerby and player Astam Oraon addressed the media ahead of #U17WWC at Bhubaneswar today Watch the video here #BackTheBlue#ShePower#IndianFootballpic.twitter.com/zYUsBijVX2 — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 10, 2022

"The team is excited to play against the USA and finally get the tournament started after training together for 6-7 months. Tomorrow is the day when we have to leave everything on the field. Our full focus is on the matches ahead and nothing else matters to us," the defender was quoted as saying.