BFF announces unchanged squad for U20 Women's Asian Cup Q/F

  Bangla Press Desk:  The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has announced a 23-member squad for the upcoming AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, set to be held in Laos next month. Head coach Paul Peter Butler has kept faith in the squad that recently won the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship, making no changes to the lineup. Between 11 and 21 July, Bangladesh dominated the SAFF tournament on home soil, winning all six matches and securing the title with a perfect 18 points. The same squad will now carry that momentum into the Asian Cup qualifiers. Bangladesh are placed in Group H alongside South Korea, Laos, and Timor-Leste. Their qualifying campaign begins on 6 August against hosts Laos. They will then face Timor-Leste on 8 August before taking on South Korea on 10 August. If all goes as planned, the team is expected to depart for Laos on 2 August. The qualifiers feature 33 teams divided into eight groups. Each group winner will qualify for the final round in Thailand, along with the three best second-placed teams. Bangladesh’s history in the competition has been less than impressive, with only two wins from 12 matches played. However, the current squad’s stellar form brings renewed optimism. At a press conference held this afternoon at the BFF House, team captain Afeida Khandaker expressed confidence ahead of the tournament. “We’re going there to perform well and qualify,” she said. “We’ve been playing continuously and everyone got game time during SAFF. Those of us who played in the Asian Cup qualifiers earlier had some rest, so we’re not feeling too fatigued.” British head coach Peter Butler also weighed in, emphasizing the importance of a strong start. “South Korea is the best team in the region—undoubtedly very strong and technically sound,” he said. “But our first match is against Laos, and that will be the most crucial. A win in that game would give us a strong advantage moving forward.” Bangladesh Squad  Goalkeepers: Swarna Rani, Mili Akter, Ferdousi Akter Defenders: Zaynab Bibi, Afida Khandaker (Captain), Surma Jannat, Kanom Akter, Ruma Akter Midfielders: Swapna Rani, Kanan Rani, Oishi Khatun, Oynta Bala, Rupa Akter, Barna Khatun, Munki Akter, Sinha Jahan, Shanti Mardi, Nadia Akter. This article was originally published on Daily Sun.