Favourites Bangladesh begin SAFF U-20 Women’s C'ship campaign tomorrow

Hosts Bangladesh will enter the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship as favourites when the four-nation tournament gets underway on Friday at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka.

The women in red and green will begin their campaign by facing Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, while Nepal will take on Bhutan in the second match of the day at the same venue.

Despite all three visiting teams tagging Bangladesh as the frontrunner for the title, Nepal expressed confidence in their own chances of lifting the trophy.

Bangladesh coach Peter Butler, while acknowledging the challenge ahead, emphasized the importance of staying grounded following their historic qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

"Since we have come back from Myanmar, it's been about bringing the girls back down to earth… getting them grounded and, more importantly, focused and disciplined for what lies ahead in this tournament," said Butler at a pre-tournament press briefing held at a city hotel on Thursday.

"This tournament is a great opportunity for some young girls to show what they can do on a platform like this. I'm looking forward to it, and obviously, we don't take anybody lightly. We respect all our opponents and we know it won't be easy," he added.

Team captain Afaida Khandoker echoed the coach's sentiments, expressing optimism despite limited preparation time following the Asian Cup qualifiers.

"We didn't get much time after returning from Myanmar, but we are ready for the championship and hopeful of delivering good results," said Afaida.

Nepal, widely considered the second title contender after Bangladesh, also arrive with high hopes.

"We came here to become champions," said Nepal coach Yam Prasad Gurung. "Bangladesh are tough opponents, but we are optimistic that we can compete for the title. We've had one and a half months of preparation, though we are missing players from our senior national team."

Nepal captain Birsana Chaudhary shared her coach's confidence, stating, "All the teams are tough, but we are here to win the title."

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have tempered expectations, focusing on gaining experience rather than chasing results. Their coach Shirantha Kumara admitted the team would not be playing attacking football against the hosts due to a relatively inexperienced squad made up mostly of U-18 players.

Bhutan's coach, Tanka Maya Ghallay, congratulated Bangladesh on their Asian Cup qualification and echoed a similar sentiment: "We are here to gain valuable experience from this tournament."

The SAFF U-20 Women's Championship will be played in a double round-robin format, with the team collecting the highest number of points declared the winner. The competition will continue until July 21.