Bangladesh’s Nasrin Sports Academy will take part in the inaugural SAFF Women’s Club Championship later this year, as the number of teams and the tournament schedule have been finalised.
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) announced on Friday that the competition will be held in Nepal from 5 to 20 December. Alongside Nasrin Academy, the participating clubs are Transport United from Bhutan, East Bengal from India, APF Football Club from Nepal, and Karachi City Football Club from Pakistan. The teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two sides advancing to the final.
“This is a historic competition, as SAFF is the first regional body, among the five in Asia, to organise a women’s club championship,” said SAFF Secretary General Purushottam Kattel. “The recent progress of South Asian women’s national teams is very encouraging. Member countries like Bangladesh and India are reaching the finals of AFC competitions, while other teams are showing strong performances in qualifiers. Through this championship, we aim to create a more competitive environment among our member nations and celebrate the growth and success of women’s football in the region.”
SAFF highlighted the historic nature of the tournament in a post on its verified Facebook page on Friday: “History in the making. For the first time ever, SAFF is organising the Club Women’s Championship, bringing together five powerhouse teams from across South Asia to compete for glory.”
