Vientiane: The Bangladeshi U-20 women’s football team is on the verge of making history as they need only one point against South Korea to get the ticket to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup U-20 Championship 2026 Thailand qualifiers. Bangladesh take on South Korea in their ultimate group H match scheduled to be held at the New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane tomorrow (Saturday) at 3 pm.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, both Bangladesh and South Korea have secured six points each after the two group matches, but Bangladesh stands top of the points table by virtue of better goal difference, having scored 11 goals compared to South Korea’s 10. Bangladesh has won their opening two matches of the championship and needs just one point in their last group match against South Korea to become the group champions. This would also allow them to play in the Asian Cup after the senior team.
South Korea is considered the top favorite in Bangladesh’s group, having demonstrated their strength by defeating East Timor 9-0 in their first match and Laos 1-0 in the second match. Bangladesh, however, has shown their capabilities by defeating Laos 3-1 and Timor-Leste 8-0. Despite expectations that South Korea would win by a large margin against Laos, they managed only a solitary goal, leaving Bangladesh at the top of the group.
To secure a spot in the AFC Asian Cup U-20 Women’s Championship 2026 in Thailand, Bangladesh must either emerge as the group top or become one of the top three runner-up teams. A draw in their last group match against South Korea would suffice for Bangladesh to remain at the top of the group due to goal difference.
Thirty-two teams divided into eight groups are competing in the round-robin league format qualifiers, with the eight group winners and the three best runners-up joining hosts Thailand in April 2026. The Bangladesh U-20 squad is composed of players including Mile Akter, Mst Fardosi Akter Shonale, Swarna Rani Mandal, and several others, all aiming to make history for their nation.