Bangladesh women's football captain Afeida Khandakar wants her team to keep winning big matches. The defending champions will play in the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship from July 11 to 21 at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka. Bangladesh won the tournament before alongside India but the Indian team decided not to play in the upcoming competition. Khandakar told reporters that her squad had very little time to get ready after returning from AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches. The captain believes all the other teams deserve respect and warned against taking any opponent lightly.
Head coach Peter Butler thinks the SAFF tournament gives young players chances to improve their skills and develop their game. Butler explained that performance matters more than just getting good results at the youth level. BFF women's football boss Mahfuza Akter Kiron announced that teams will play each other once in a round-robin format. The team with the most points at the end will become the new champions. Kiron expects tough competition even without India participating in the tournament.
Nepal currently ranks highest among the four teams at 100th place in FIFA world rankings. Bangladesh sits at 128th position while Sri Lanka holds 159th place and Bhutan comes last at 171st. Kiron hopes Bangladesh's recent good results will help them climb higher when FIFA releases new rankings on August 7. The tournament features host Bangladesh along with Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka competing for the regional title.
Head coach Peter Butler thinks the SAFF tournament gives young players chances to improve their skills and develop their game. Butler explained that performance matters more than just getting good results at the youth level. BFF women's football boss Mahfuza Akter Kiron announced that teams will play each other once in a round-robin format. The team with the most points at the end will become the new champions. Kiron expects tough competition even without India participating in the tournament.
Nepal currently ranks highest among the four teams at 100th place in FIFA world rankings. Bangladesh sits at 128th position while Sri Lanka holds 159th place and Bhutan comes last at 171st. Kiron hopes Bangladesh's recent good results will help them climb higher when FIFA releases new rankings on August 7. The tournament features host Bangladesh along with Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka competing for the regional title.
