The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup begins in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, and for India and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), it has been a long journey to get here.
India were initially awarded the right to host the U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020, but COVID-19 wreaked havoc and the tournament was postponed by a year before it was eventually cancelled.
ESPN charts the timeline of events leading up to Tuesday's opening match at the Kalinga Stadium.
March 15, 2019: FIFA picks India as the hosts of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2020 ahead of France. The tournament is initially scheduled to be held in 2020 from November 2 to 21.
April 20, 2019: The Junior Girls National Championship begins in Kolhapur. The then assistant coach of the senior women's national team, Chaoba Devi, said the tournament will be used as the platform to scout players for the World Cup squad.
November 9, 2019: Thomas Dennerby of Sweden is appointed as the head coach of the India U-17 women's team.
November 17, 2019: Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the Indian Super League (ISL), conducts the U-17 Women's Championship. The tournament features 73 players who are split into four teams. This is used as another opportunity for scouting players for the World Cup.
December 13-19, 2019: AIFF hosts a three-nation tournament at the Mumbai Football Arena, where India finish runners-up to Sweden, after beating Thailand in the group stage of the tournament.
April 3, 2020: FIFA announces that the U-17 Women's World Cup will be postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 12, 2020: FIFA announces that the tournament will be held from February 17 to March 7, 2021, subject to monitoring of the pandemic situation.
November 17, 2020: FIFA says that the 2020 edition will be cancelled. However, India retains the hosting rights for the next edition of the tournament in 2022. The age limits of the eligible players is adjusted accordingly, which means that the players scouted for the 2020 World Cup had to be let go.
March 1, 2022: 35 players are summoned to a camp in Jamshedpur, with then assistant coach Alex Ambrose, who was later sacked due to alleged sexual misconduct.
Among the 35, Shilky Devi was already a part of the senior team for the AFC Asian Cup 2022, while Astam Oraon, Nitu Linda and Lynda Kom are selected for the SAFF U-19 Championship 2021 which took place in Bangladesh in December 2021.
April 15, 2022: A bulk of the players initially scouted ahead of the 2020 Women's U-17 World Cup turn out for the Indian Arrows in the Indian Women's League.
Arrows provide a rare ray of hope for the future of women's football in India
June 22 to 26, 2022: After their preparatory camp in Jamshedpur, Dennerby's team participates in the 6th Torneo Female Football Tournament, along with hosts Italy, Mexico and Chile. India concede 12 and score just one goal in the tournament.
June-July, 2022: India depart to Europe to play in the Open Nordic tournament in Norway. Here, alleged sexual misconduct allegations on assistant coach Ambrose come to surface and he is sent back to India.
July 3, 2022: Dr. SY Quraishi, head of the three-member Committee of Administrators, which was running Indian football puts out a tweet confirming the sacking of Ambrose.
Alex Ambrose, Asstt Head Coach of Under 17 Women's team has been sacked for sexual misconduct. Further action under process.
- Dr. S.Y. Quraishi (@DrSYQuraishi) July 3, 2022
August 15, 2022: FIFA bans AIFF due to "undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes." It means that India cannot host the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.
August 26, 2022: FIFA lifts the suspension on India, making way for the country to host the World Cup. The decision is taken after the Supreme Court of India dismantles the CoA and the day-to-day management of AIFF is led by the Acting Secretary General of the board.
September 26 to October 2, 2022: The final leg of preparations for the World Cup sees the team training in Barcelona. They play against Sweden and lose 1-3, before a 17-1 win against WSS Barcelona to round off their tours before the big tournament.
October 5, 2022: AIFF announces a 21-member squad for the 2022 FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup.