Who is Amelia Valverde, the next coach of the Indian Women's Football Team?

Amelia Valverde

As they prepare for a massive assignment at the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia in March, India's senior women's national team is all set to have a new coach in 39-year-old Costa Rican Amelia Valverde.

Valverde has quite the CV for someone coming into Indian Football. She's twice managed Costa Rica at FIFA World Cups, and now she's the one to lead the Indian dream, as they attempt to get out of the group, which would get them a shot at, at least, the intercontinental playoffs to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

So, who is Valverde? What are her credentials? Should Indian fans be excited? The answer to the last question first - a resounding yes. Her managerial experience at the international level is significant, but it is significant that she has so little time to impart any of her ideas and have the team implement those ideas. The squad is expected to be in camp from now until the Asian Cup, so at least Valverde will have the whole group together for the next couple of months.

Does Valverde have prior international experience

Eight years of it. At the age of 28, she became the head coach of the Costa Rican senior national women's team. Valverde led Costa Rica to their first-ever women's World Cup in 2015. Then she led them to a gold medal in 2017 and a silver medal in 2018 at the Central Asian Games. In 2022, Costa Rica finished fourth at the CONCACAF Championship, behind the USA, Canada, and Jamaica. That performance helped them qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

How did Valverde's Costa Rica perform in those World Cups?

Both in 2015 and 2023, Costa Rica were in tough groups.

In 2015, they were a plucky side, who were in contention to qualify for the knockout stages until the final few minutes of their last group game. They began their campaign with draws against Spain and South Korea. It must be noted that the Spain of 2015 aren't the superpower that they have since become, but it was still a huge result for Costa Rica. Following that up with a draw against South Korea meant that they needed to beat Brazil in their last group game to qualify for the knockouts, but despite a fighting performance, they were undone by an 83rd-minute Brazilian winner.

In 2023, Costa Rica once again were grouped with Spain, who eventually won the tournament. Valverde's Costa Rica lost 3-0 to them, before going down 2-0 to Japan and 3-1 to Zambia. It was after this tournament that Valverde left her role as head coach after eight years in the job.

What's Valverde done since 2023?

She managed Mexican club side Monterrey for 21 months, between December 2023 and September 2025. Valverde led the team to significant success, most notably winning back-to-back titles by winning the Clausura 2024 and Apertura 2024 championships.

What can Indian fans expect from their team under Valverde?

Most pertinently from an Indian perspective, Valverde hasn't been rigid with her style. She has shown an ability to adapt. Monterrey were one of the best teams in the Mexican league through her tenure there, mostly thanks to a direct, attacking style of play that she implemented.

However, her Costa Rica sides, particularly at big tournament, where they were underdogs were set up to defend, sometimes even in formations that had five at the back. India will need a mix of both at the Asian Cup, with a game against global powerhouses Japan in the group stages, but also games against Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, which India will eye to gets points off, to enter the quarterfinals.