Nanhi Kali’s TOOFAAN CUP 2026 Brings The Spirit of Football to the Fields of Rural India

Thousands of young girl footballers from underserved communities across rural, tribal and urban India took part in a unique grassroots tournament inspired by the spirit of the biggest football event in the world. More than a competition, it was a celebration of talent, inclusion, teamwork, and the power of sport to create opportunities for young girls.

Project Nanhi Kali incorporated sports programmes in its curriculum to reinforce lessons, with tools and habits, that build independence, confidence, and physical strength. The individual and team sports intend to encourage girls to improve their physical fitness, participation in public spaces and challenge gender roles that often discourage girls from being active in sports.

More about the project:

• Which year did the football programme start? – FY 2024-2025
• The number of girls enrolled in the football programme in FY 2025-26 – 181,037 Nks
• Number of girls enrolled in the football programme since inception – 232,201 Nks
• Total government schools covered – 1935 Schools
• Total districts covered – 17 Districts
• Total states covered – 7 States
• Total football teams – 2440 teams
• Total Skills Associates and Game Changers (who coach the NKs) – 1753 Skills Associates – 27 Game Changers

Toofaan Cup 2026 is a unique football championship that mirrors the excitement of the World Cup by bringing together the best of the Nanhi Kali football teams from villages across India. This tournament follows the match fixtures from the global stage, representing different nations, the young girl players have competed in knockout matches leading to the quarterfinals, semi-finals and coming up this weekend are the third-place match, and the final.

The Toofaan Cup 2026 aims to promote access to sports for young girls in underserved areas of the country and celebrate local talent. While the sports programme of Project Nanhi Kali tries to strengthen the community involvement and create positive social change to accelerate women’s empowerment, the tournament is designed to increase the exposure and aspirations of the girls.