ANFA announces squad for AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers

KATHMANDU: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has announced the national squad for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers to be held in Thimphu from August 6 to 10.

Central midfielder Birsana Chaudhary will lead the team as captain.

The announcement comes just days after the team returned from Dhaka, Bangladesh, where they participated in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship. The squad is set to compete again after a two-week break.

Head coach Yam Prasad Gurung has made one change to the squad that played in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship in Dhaka. Defender Sajina Syangtang has replaced left-back Jhuma Bishwakarma in the lineup.

Bhutan is hosting Group A matches of the Qualifiers, which also include North Korea and Saudi Arabia. The Qualifiers will be played in a single round-robin format, with the top team from each group earning a spot in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup to be held in Thailand next year. Similarly, the three best second-placed teams across all groups will also qualify for the final tournament.