Published: 11:44 AM, 03 October 2026
U 17 women's football team head to Uzbekistan
With the high hopes to qualify for the finals after dissapointing outcomes in the last two editions, Bangladesh women's U-17 football team flew to Uzbekistan on Friday to take part in the AFC Women's U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Earlier, a 23-member squad was announced on Thursday at the BFF House ahead of the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. Meghla Rani Roy has been named captain, with Alpi Akter serving as vice-captain.
In Group H, Bangladesh faces hosts Uzbekistan and the Philippines. The Bangladeshi girls will take the field against hosts Uzbekistan in their first match on October 8, followed by a match against the Philippines on October 11.
Despite facing tough opponents in the group, Coach Saiful Bari Titu is confident about advancing from the qualifiers to the main tournament. He said, "Our target is to qualify for the finals. Although it is not an easy task, it is possible if the girls can implement the game plan," head coach AKM Saiful Bari Titu said at Thursday's press conference.
"We know both opponents are stronger than us. We have collected video footage of them and prepared accordingly, while we will also get an opportunity to see both teams during the group opener before our match," Titu added.
Captain Meghla Rani Roy is also satisfied with the opportunity to play preparation matches ahead of the qualifiers. She believes that if the team can effectively implement what they have practiced on the field, advancing to the next stage is possible.
Meghla said, "We are confident of fighting against them and producing good results if we can carry out the coach's plan on match day," said Meghla, who was adjudged the best goalkeeper at the 2025 SAFF Women's U-17 Championship.
Present at the press conference were Mahfuza Akter Kiron, Executive Committee Member of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Chairperson of the BFF Committee for Women's Football; Tipu Sultan, Executive Committee Member, BFF; AKM Saiful Bari Titu, Head Coach, Bangladesh U17 Women's National Football Team; and H.M. Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Executive Vice President & Head of Retail Business, Dhaka Bank PLC, along with national U17 players Meghla Rani Roy and Alpi Akter.
