Kathmandu — The AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers for Group ‘A’ kick off today in Thimphu, Bhutan. Nepal, placed in Group A, will start their qualification journey by facing the host nation Bhutan.
The match will be held at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu and is scheduled to begin at 5:45 PM local time. Group A also includes North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Notably, North Korea is the reigning champion of the AFC Asian Cup.
Nepal aims to advance as the group’s runner-up. The qualifiers feature 32 participating nations divided into eight groups. The eight group winners and the three best runners-up will secure a place in the U-20 Asian Cup to be held next year in Thailand.
Recently, Nepal finished as runners-up in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship held in Bangladesh. Despite strong performances throughout the tournament, Nepal lost the final match against Bangladesh by 4-0.
During the SAFF U-20 Championship in Bangladesh, Nepal defeated Bhutan twice by large margins.
Nepal’s coach, Yamprasad Gurung, expressed confidence that his team will qualify for the U-20 Women’s Asian Cup.
Nepal’s captain, Birsana Chaudhary, stated that the team has prepared while considering all the opponents carefully.
