The bunch of spunky Indian girls, who made history by finding a place in the top eight of Under-17 AFC Asian Cup on Friday, are now one win away from a berth in the age group Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026. The job is a demanding one as they face hosts China in the quarter final on Monday, but Italian head coach Pamela Conti is not willing to let the golden chance slip.

“It is an incredible achievement,” Conti told the AIFF media after the Young Tigresses ran roughshod in a 4-0 win over Lebanon. “Nobody believed it was possible, but from the very first moment, I believed that if we trained differently, we could achieve what we have done. I am very happy. There are hardly enough words to describe it. I am only grateful to these players, who from day one have always followed everything we asked of them.”

It was a commanding performance against Lebanon which saw Pritika Barman scoring twice while Alva Devi Senjam and Joya added the other goals in a dominant display. A decorated former Italian international, Conti – who took charge of the girls in January – said: “We played an incredible match. Honestly, 4-0 is even a narrow result because we could have scored more goals. What I really liked was the team’s desire to press high, to keep looking for goals, and the very important tactical organisation we showed.

“But the most important thing was qualifying for the knockout stage, and I am extremely happy about that.”

India made the cut for the tournament after a 21-year absence from the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup and were drawn alongside Australia, Japan and Lebanon in a difficult Group B. While defeats against the former two left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance, the Young Tigresses responded emphatically in the decisive final group game.

“From the first day I arrived, I told the players that we had to work, work, and work,” Conti said. “I do not know any other path to success apart from hard work. Nobody complained, nobody got tired of it. We trained for almost three and a half months, twice a day, to achieve this.”

China, India’s next opponents, finished Group A as toppers with 15 goals against Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand and conceding none. “China are a very strong team,” Conti said. “They have many technically gifted players, they are good tactically, and they have the advantage of playing at home with a lot of crowd support.”

“I already said before the tournament that we would play against every team with dignity, and that is exactly what this team is doing. Playing with dignity gives you something extra, not only in football, but also in life.

“We will go there to play our game, to make things difficult for them, and hopefully we can win and achieve the World Cup qualification that we all want so much,” she added.

A century of rivalry bound by respect - said a giant tifo featuring Tutu Bose and Paltu Das, two of the deceased legendary administrators of Mohun Bagan Super Giants and East Bengal, respectively. If it drew most eyeballs from the ‘Mariners Arena,’ as Mohun Bagan supporters are now known as, a stunning one at their rivals’ end was the one depicting how displaced people from the east Pakistan found a resonance in the club’s roots.

The tifos have been, for the last few years, a welcome addition to the fandom of two of the oldest extant clubs in Asia – while the Kolkata derby remains the most important football fixture of the country without a doubt. They have often taken a political hue, like the demand for justice for the junior doctor allegedly raped and killed at R.G.Kar Hospital or in recent times, an ode to the late actor and podcaster Rahul Arunodoy Bandopadhyay, a sworn East Bengal fan who had a tragic death in end-May.

The atmosphere was simply electric (no surprises there) as more than 60,000 fans filled up the terraces at the Salt Lake Stadium, the biggest football venue in the country, as the Indian Super League (ISL) title hinged on the big game for the first time in its 12-year history. While Mohun Bagan has won the title multiple times (both in their avatar as ATK Mohun Bagan or Mohun Bagan Super Giant), it had been an uphill struggle for their archrivals – who had been finishing in the lower lungs of the table since their bow in the elite league.

All that could change on Thursday (21 May), when East Bengal look virtually set to lift the crown as they play a rudderless Inter Kashi on the last day of ISL. A thrilling 1-1 draw on Sunday have now thrown open the league with the Big Two now on 23 points from 12 matches, but East Bengal remain on top due to a superior goal-difference of 18 compared to Mohun Bagan’s 13. Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC are also on 22 points with the two sides set to meet on 21 May. 

East Bengal can hence clinch the crown if they beat Inter Kashi in their final match, given that Mohun Bagan will have a mountain to climb to overcome at least a six-goal difference against SC Delhi on the same day and kick-off time. The title now is East Bengal’s to lose and no wonder Oscar Bruzon – their Spanish coach who scripted the turnaround after taking charge of a relegation-threatened team in the previous season – is not willing to take anything for granted. ‘’The mission is still on, and we’ve got one more game to prove it. Joy East Bengal,’’ Bruzon said on his X-handle.

Sergio Lobera, the Spanish counterpart of Bruzon who took charge of a high-flying club by replacing the decorated coach Jose Mollina, said: ‘’I think it was a very good day for both teams. They played well also. But maybe we deserve a little bit more. This is my feeling as a coach, I want to watch the game again but my feeling now, our plan worked and we had the chances to win the game. With maximum respect, I think it was more of our mistakes than the plan of the opponent.’’

The timeless appeal of this fixture – which the administrators of the game have failed to cash in on over the years – manifested in no uncertain terms again. For the statistically inclined, here’s a look at the head-to-head after Sunday which underlines the history and richness of the fixture: the two Kolkata giants have now met 349 times across competitions with East Bengal leading the head-to-head record with 129 wins to Mohun Bagan’s 105 while 115 matches have ended in draws.

East Bengal has scored 324 goals in the derby compared to Mohun Bagan’s 286. Their previous meeting had ended in a goalless draw in the Super Cup at Margao on 31 October 2025. Let the show continue!

Football fans in India will need a Zee5 subscription to watch the live telecast of all 104 FIFA World Cup matches, which kicks off with a match between Mexico and South Africa at 12.30 am IST (Friday). Zee Entertainment, which recently secured the India broadcast rights after months of uncertainty, has unveiled dedicated World Cup streaming plans and confirmed the television channels that will carry the matches.

Zee5 is offering a special FIFA WC'26 + All Access subscription pack for the tournament, according to a release. Viewers can choose between: 3-month plan: Rs 799 (works on up to three devices); 1-year plan: Rs 1,699 (works on up to four devices). The plans include access to World Cup matches along with Zee5’s broader content library.

Fans who prefer watching on television can tune in to Zee Entertainment's newly launched sports channels: Unite8 Sports 1; Unite8 Sports 1 HD; Unite8 Sports 2 & Unite8 Sports 2 HD. All matches will be, meanwhile, available for live streaming on Zee5 through smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs and other supported devices.

Despite being one of the few major football markets in Asia, India remained without a confirmed broadcaster for the tournament until recently. While China finalised its World Cup broadcast deal in May, Indian football fans had to wait until the final days before kickoff for an official announcement.  However, the match timings for pose a challenge for Indian viewers as they will be played across multiple cities and time zones in North America.

Expected start times include: Atlanta matches: 9:30 pm IST; Dallas and Houston matches: 10:30 pm IST; San Francisco, Vancouver and Monterrey matches: Up to 9:30 am IST. The opening match, both semi-finals and the final are scheduled to begin at 12:30 am IST making them late-night viewing events for football fans in India.

Meanwhile, a massive opening ceremony packed with music, culture and global entertainment will usher in the tournament and this year’s ceremonies will not follow the traditional single-city format. Instead, FIFA will launch the tournament through interconnected events in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Shakira will headline the ceremony and perform Dai Dai, the official tournament anthem alongside Nigerian superstar Burna Boy. Colombian singer J Balvin and South African artist Tyla are also scheduled to appear.Mexico’s own music icons will play a major role as well as Alejandro Fernandez, Lila Downs, Belinda, Danny Ocean, legendary band Maná, and Los Ángeles Azules are all expected to perform during the celebration.

Canada’s ceremony in Toronto will include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé, Jessie Reyez, Elyanna, Vegedream, William Prince, Nora Fatehi  and Sanjoy.The United States ceremony in Los Angeles is expected to deliver a Hollywood-style production before the USA face Paraguay in its tournament opener.