Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Thursday officially announced the squad for the fast-approaching AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, set to take place in Laos next month.

Bangladesh Stick with SAFF U-20 Champions for AFC Women’s Qualifiers

Bangladesh have named an unchanged 23-member squad for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, sticking with the same group that clinched the SAFF U-20 Championship title. The move reflects a strategy of consistency and belief in a winning combination as the team prepares to leave for Laos on August 2.

Strong Midfield: Sapna Rani Shines in Training
Midfielder Sapna Rani was seen putting in the work during training sessions, a key figure expected to play a pivotal role in the upcoming games.

Drawn into Group H, Bangladesh will face Laos (hosts), South Korea, and Timor-Leste from August 6 to 10. Among these, South Korea pose the biggest challenge, having earned a strong reputation in past editions of the tournament. They rank behind only Japan and North Korea in all-time success, winning the title in 2004 and 2013 and finishing third in 2019.

Focus on Laos First, Says Coach Butler

Head coach Peter Butler acknowledged South Korea’s quality but stressed the need to take it one match at a time:

“In my opinion, South Korea are among the top sides in this region. But our immediate focus is on the opening game against Laos.”

Captain Afeida Sets Sights on Qualification
Team captain Afeida Khandoker echoed the coach’s mindset:

“We’re aware of how strong South Korea are, but we’re aiming to qualify for the final round. First, we’ll approach Laos and Timor-Leste according to our tactical plan before shifting focus to South Korea.”

Bangladesh’s Qualifying Track Record
In the 2024 Qualifiers’ first phase held at home in early 2023, Bangladesh beat Turkmenistan 4-0 but fell 1-0 to Iran, who topped the group. In the previous 2019 campaign, Bangladesh suffered a 7-0 defeat to South Korea and a 2-0 loss to Chinese Taipei but managed a convincing 5-1 win against hosts Tajikistan.

The Road to the Asian Cup and Beyond

This year’s qualifiers feature 33 teams split into eight groups. The eight group winners and the three best runners-up will move on to join host Thailand at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026, scheduled for April 1–18. From there, the top four teams will earn qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, to be held from September 5–27.

Bangladesh squad:

Goalkeepers: Mile Akter, Swarna Rani Mandal, Fardosi Akter Shonale.
Defenders: Afeida Khandoker (captain), Nabiran Khatun, Puja Das, Surma Jannat, Joynob Bibi Rita, Kanom Akter, Kanon Rani Bahadur, Ruma Akter.
Midfielders: Sapna Rani, Munki Akhter, Oeyshi Khatun, Ayonto Bala Mahato, Rupa Akter, Bonna Khatun, Nadia Akter Juti.
Forwards: Mosammat Sagorika, Sree Moti Trishna Rani, Shanti Mardi, Umehla Marma, Sinha Jahan Shikha.