The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Thursday unveiled a 23-member squad for next month’s AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in Laos, retaining the same line-up that recently clinched the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship.
This continuity offers both confidence and cohesion as Peter Butler’s charges prepare to take on a formidable Group H challenge. The squad is scheduled to depart for Laos on 2 August.
Bangladesh will face hosts Laos, regional heavyweights South Korea, and Timor-Leste between 6–10 August. South Korea, widely considered one of the strongest teams in Asia, pose the toughest test in the group. The East Asians have been crowned champions twice (2004 and 2013) and secured third place in the 2019 edition.
“South Korea, in my opinion, are probably one of the best teams I’ve seen in this region,” said head coach Butler during a press briefing in Dhaka. “But like I said, our first priority is the opening match against Laos.”
Team captain Afeida Khandoker echoed her coach’s sentiments: “We know South Korea are a very strong side in our group, but our target is to qualify for the final round. We will take each match as it comes, starting with Laos and Timor-Leste, before turning our focus to South Korea.”
In the previous edition’s qualifiers in 2023, Bangladesh began brightly with a 4–0 win over Turkmenistan but lost 1–0 to Iran, missing out on a second-round spot. Back in the 2019 qualifiers, they suffered a 7–0 defeat to South Korea and a 2–0 loss to Chinese Taipei, but managed a resounding 5–1 victory over hosts Tajikistan.
This year, a total of 33 teams have been divided into eight groups. The group winners and three best runners-up will advance to the final tournament in Thailand, scheduled from 1–18 April 2026. The top four teams from that event will qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026, to be held in Poland from 5–27 September.
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