Women's football team off to Laos

Bangladesh women's football team departed for Laos on Saturday to take part in the qualifying round of the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers 2026.

The SAFF U-20 Women's Champions, Bangladesh team, which is put in Group H along with strong South Korea, Timor-Leste, and hosts Cambodia, will start their campaign in the U-20 Women's Asian Cup by taking on hosts Cambodia on August 6.

The girls in red and green will play their remaining group matches against Timor-Leste and stronger South Korea on August 8 and 10, respectively. All the matches will be held at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane, Laos.

A total of thirty-three Asian teams, divided into eight groups, will compete in the first phase of the tournament. Later, eight group champions and the best three group runners-up teams will play in the 12-team final round with hosts Thailand.

The final round of the biennial international youth football championship, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's under-20 national teams of Asia, will be held in Thailand next year.

Bangladesh squad: Mile Akter, Mst Fardosi Akter Shonale, Swarna Rani Mandal, Afeida Khandakar, Mst Ruma Akter, Kanom Akter, Mst Joynob Bibi Rita, Mst Surma Jannat, Mst Oeyshi Khatun, Ayonto Bala Mahato, Kanon Rani Bahadur, Nadia Akter Juti, Mst Bonna Khatun, Nabiran Khatun, Shanti Mardi, Rupa Akter, Most Munki Akhter, Sapna Rani, Sinha Jahan Shikha, Mst Sagorika, Umehla Marma, Puja Das, and Sree Moti Trishna Rani.