Bangladesh have been drawn alongside hosts Thailand, China and Vietnam in Group A of the AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup finals, which will take place in Thailand from 1 to 18 April next year. The draw ceremony was held on Monday in Bangkok, marking the first time Bangladesh will feature in the tournament’s main stage.
As debutants, Bangladesh were placed in Pot Four, with three teams in each of the four pots. The draw began with the final pot, from which Bangladesh were the first name drawn, placing them in Group A. Vietnam and China followed from Pots Three and Two respectively, while hosts Thailand had already been pre-assigned as the top-seeded team in the group.
The final stage will feature 12 teams divided into three groups. Each group’s winners and runners-up, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals. From there, the four semi-finalists will qualify for the 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
China are expected to be the favourites in Bangladesh’s group, while victories against either Thailand or Vietnam could give Bangladesh a chance of progressing as runners-up or as one of the two best third-placed sides.
Thailand qualified automatically as hosts, while eight group winners and the three best runners-up from the qualifiers joined them in the final round. Bangladesh earned their place by finishing as group runners-up in the qualifiers held in Laos, becoming the 20th Asian nation to appear in the competition’s history.
Group A: Thailand, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh
Group B: North Korea, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Jordan
Group C: Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, India
