Bangladesh stormed into the final of the SAFF U-20 Championship 2026 after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nepal in the first semi-final at the National Stadium in Malé, Maldives, on Wednesday.
Forward Md Manik scored the decisive goal early in the match, ensuring the junior men in red and green booked their place in the final.
Bangladesh will now face the winner of the second semi-final between India and Bhutan. The final is scheduled to be held at the same venue on Friday. The second semi-final will take place later on Wednesday.
The all-important goal came in the 11th minute when Manik headed home from a cross to give Bangladesh the lead. Just a minute later, Ronan Sullivan found the net following a brilliant team move, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Bangladesh continued to create chances throughout the first half.
Nepal applied pressure in the early stages of the second half, but Bangladesh displayed defensive resilience to maintain their narrow advantage and secure the win.
Bangladesh had earlier defeated Pakistan 2-0 in their opening Group B match, courtesy of a brace from Ronan on his debut in the red and green jersey. They then played out a 1-1 draw against India in their second group fixture. India advanced to the semi-finals as group winners after thrashing Pakistan 3-0.
In Group A, Nepal began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Bhutan, followed by a 1-0 win against Sri Lanka. They drew 1-1 with Maldives to finish top of the group standings.
Bhutan, meanwhile, played out a goalless draw against Maldives before edging Sri Lanka 1-0 to qualify for the knockout stage as group runners-up.
In the previous SAFF U-19 Championship held in India last year, Bangladesh were narrowly defeated by India in a penalty shootout (4-3) after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.
However, in the last SAFF U-20 Championship held in Nepal in 2024, Bangladesh emerged champions by defeating the hosts 4-1 in the final.
Bangladesh have once again reached the final and will now aim to retain the title and bring the trophy home.
