Bangladesh Under-19 women’s football team will aim to defend their crown when they take on a confident India in the final of the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship 2026 at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara, Nepal today afternoon.
The two sides had already met in the single-round league stage, where Bangladesh emerged 2-0 winners in their second match after hammering Bhutan 12-0 in the opener. Alpi Akter, who struck a hat-trick against Bhutan, was also on target against India, while captain Arpita Biswas scored the other goal to establish Bangladesh as early favourites for the title.
Bangladesh maintained their dominant run throughout the group stage, with Alpi netting another hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Nepal in their final league match. Head coach Peter Butler’s side topped the standings to book their place in the final.
India, meanwhile, finished second after edging Nepal 1-0 and thrashing Bhutan 8-0. Their head coach Pamela Conti said on Friday that her team had grown in confidence and was unafraid to play, expressing hope for a strong performance in the final.
Alpi currently leads the tournament’s scoring chart with seven goals, while her teammate Munki Akter and India’s Pearl Fernandes are joint second with four goals each.
Bangladesh also received a morale boost ahead of the showdown as Mahfuza Akter Kiron, Executive Committee Member of the AFC and BFF and Chairperson of the BFF Committee for Women’s Football, met the players in Pokhara and encouraged them before the title decider.