AIFF Media Team

NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Sethu FC downed Krida Prabodhini Pune 3-0 to seal the eighth and final quarter-final spot in the AIFF U17 Women’s Youth League 2026-27 at the RKM Football Academy in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

Sethu thus finished Group D in second spot with six points, three less than the toppers HOPS FC. Krida Prabodhini Pune and MGM Ambush Club bowed out of the group stage with three and zero points, respectively.

Group C's two quarter-finalists were already decided before the day began, and the fight was to determine the toppers and runners-up. It turned out to be a one-sided affair as Nita Football Academy hammered Kickstart FC 6-0. 

In the other game between two already-eliminated sides, Mumbai Knights FC defeated DKR Football Academy 2-1 to end the tournament on a high.

Nita FA, the winners of Group C, will meet Sethu FC, the runners-up of Group D, while HOPS FC, the winners of Group D, will lock horns with Kickstart FC, the runners-up of Group C, in the quarter-finals on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

The first two quarter-finals will take place on Friday. Zinc FA will face RKM FA at 08:30 before Garhwal United FC take on DFA Raisen at 15:00. All matches of the AIFF U17 Women's Youth League are streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.

Krida Prabodhini Pune 0 
lost to 
Sethu FC 3 (KS Shobika 13’, 36’, S Dharshini 41')

The anticipated fight for second place in Group D fizzled out in the first half itself. Sethu FC ran up a 3-0 lead as Krida Prabodhini Pune tried hard but came up short against a stubborn defence.

The early signs were evident when Sangeetha chipped from inside the box, but goalkeeper Shivika Shetty did well to gather. A little later, KS Shobika rattled the crossbar with a strong right-footer. The two Sethu attackers then combined to put their team in the lead in the 13th minute.

Sangeetha sent a long lob on the right. Shobika gave chase as the goalkeeper Shivika made a futile attempt to come out and thwart the attack. Shobika had the composure to chip it over her and score.

After going behind, Krida Prabodhini Pune attacked with vigour and maintained a good pace as well, but they were unable to get the better of an organised Sethu defence, which kept them at bay.

Much against the run of play, Sethu made it 2-0. Ananthi Thangavel produced a long sprint down the left and poked the ball through the defence. Shobika once again rushed in to push it past the custodian into the net.

Just before the breather, another long and high clearance saw the Krida Prabodhini Pune defence and goalkeeper get mixed up. Seizing the chance, S Dharshini ran in and rolled it home.

With both midfields and defences producing compact displays in the second half, the scoreboard remained unchanged. It was more than enough for Sethu FC to seal the second spot, while Krida Prabodhini Pune ended third.

Nita Football Academy 6 (Niruta Baraghare 4’, Maanya Gurumayum 12’, Deepika Kumari 40’ 49’ 85’ p, Pritee Sasmal 90+2’) 
defeated
Kickstart FC 0

Deepika Kumari scored the first hat-trick of the tournament as Nita FA produced another commanding display to dismantle Kickstart FC 6-0 and take the top spot in Group C.

Playing one-touch football with a lot of understanding, Nita FA piled up immense pressure on the Kickstart FC defence right from the start. Lipsha Naik, Niruta Baraghare and Maanya Gurumayum controlled the proceedings to a nicety. Their promptings stretched the opponent's defence frequently.

In their hurry and anxiety to break free of the hurdles that Nita set up, Kickstart only managed some feeble clearances. Intercepting them well, Nita managed to score twice within the first 12 minutes.

Niruta picked up one around 20 yards out on the left and shot the ball deep into the top corner beyond the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Shelna Maria Sajit.

Then, Ritu Badaik struck the ball hard into the box. Kickstart defender Aparajita only managed to head it out of the box. It dropped down to Maanya, who lobbed it into the net.

The two-goal cushion saw Nita grow in confidence and keep the momentum for a major part of the first half.

The side from Cuttack made it 3-0 in the 40th minute when Deepika Kumari got to another deflected ball off Aparajita’s head following Bandana Naik’s centre, and coolly chipped into the net from the left.

But Deepika was far from finished. Four minutes after the restart, the left-winger produced a solo run on the left and slammed home a firm left-footer. She then converted a penalty late in the game after Kickstart’s Derrin Treesa Sumesh was penalised for holding. Nita completed the tally in injury time as two substitutes combined — Pabita Naik raced down the right and crossed for Pritee Sasmal to tap home.

MGM Ambush Club 0
lost to 
HOPS FC 4 (Revika 42’, Kanika 49’, Reema Kumari 63’, Sakshi Yadav 68’) 

The dashing Revika scored one and had a hand in all three other goals as HOPS emerged clear 4-0 winners over MGM Ambush Club.

HOPS maintained their perfect record, winning all three games without conceding a single goal, while MGM Ambush finished at the bottom with no points and no goals.

Yet, HOPS themselves struggled to find the net for most of the first half despite hovering around the penalty box for long spells. Divya, Reema Kumari and Ranjita Hembrom all let go of clear chances, unable to pack any punch in their finishing efforts.

The induction of Revika in the 36th minute in place of the injured Priya turned the game on its head. Winning possession in the final third, Revika laced a solid right-footer. It carried so much power that goalkeeper Rashi Poyam could not hold on to it, the ball grazing her fingers and nestling into the net.

The 1-0 half-time lead turned into a 4-0 scoreline by the time the match ended. Revika was clearly unstoppable. Four minutes into the second half, Revika hit the upright with a low shot. As it rebounded, captain Kanika was on hand to push it home.

Revika's floating corner in the 63rd minute landed for Reema Kumari, who guided it in at the near post. Producing another long and dazzling run down the right flank in the 68th minute, Revika squared the ball behind the defence, and substitute Sakshi Yadav side-footed it home for HOPS' fourth goal.

DKR Football Academy 1 (Vislavath Nandini 15’) 
lost to 
Mumbai Knights FC 2 (Pia Chakravarty 45’, Divya Sharma 75’)

Mumbai Knights FC ended their campaign on a high note with a 2-1 comeback win over DKR FA. Both teams had lost their first two games to Kickstart FC and Nita FA. With no chance of advancement, they played for pride and fought on level terms for the most part.

It was DKR who took the lead in the 15th minute. Vislavath Nandini chased a long ball from Gottipati Sai Sameeksha, and seeing goalkeeper Harijan Saloni Sudhir out of her line, wasted no time in hitting a measured half-volley that landed in the far corner. This was the team’s first goal in three matches. 

But Mumbai Knights managed to get on level terms just before the break. Following a corner that was initially cleared, Norah Bhattacharya chipped a ball into the 18-yard box. Pia Chakravarty rushed in and slammed home a fierce half-volley into the corner.

The trend of play remained much the same after resumption. After a few futile attempts, Mumbai Knights completed the comeback and took the lead in the 75th minute. Symphony Fernandes initially hit the crossbar from a loose ball, and Divya Sharma was the quickest to react and slot home the rebound. Mumbai Knights ensured that they kept their 2-1 lead till the end to finish third on the table, while DKR ended up with the wooden spoon.