2026 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Nepal |
| Dates | 31 January–7 February 2026 |
| Teams | 4 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue | 1 (in Pokhara host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  India (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Bangladesh |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 34 (4.86 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,606 (229 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Alpi Akter (7 goals) |
| Best player | Alpi Akter |
| Best goalkeeper | Munni |
| Fair play award | India |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship was the 7th edition of the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship, an international youth football tournament contested by women’s under-19 national teams from South Asia and organised by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament was held in Pokhara, Nepal, from 31 January to 7 February 2026, with four national teams participated.
India is the current champion having defeated Bangladesh by 4–0 goals in the final of the tournament on 7 February 2026.[1]
The host nation for the tournament was selected by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) during a virtual meeting of its Executive Committee held on 20 November 2025 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. During the meeting, SAFF officials reviewed hosting arrangements and logistical preparedness before officially awarding the hosting rights to Nepal. The decision confirmed Nepal as the tournament venue and continued the country’s role in staging regional youth women’s football competitions under the SAFF umbrella.[2]
Participating nations
Squads
Venue
All the matches were played at the Pokhara Rangasala in Pokhara, Nepal.
| Pokhara | |
|---|---|
| Pokhara Rangasala | |
| Capacity: 18,500 | |
 | |
Match officials
- Referees
Choki Om (†)- Tshering Yangkey (†)
Saraban Tahura (†)
Mahi Tudu (†)
Anjana Rai (†)
- Assistant Referees
- Soahana Khatun
- Salma Akter Mone
- Kinzang Choden
- Sushmita Rai
- Merina Dhimal
- Referee Assessors
- Bina Nawachhe Shrestha
- Match commissioners
- Mindu Dorji
- Suvrat Suresh Thatte
(†): Also performed as assistant referee and others role in some matches.
Round robin
Each team will play each other. The top two teams contest in the final.
| Key to colours in group tables | |
|---|---|
| Table top two teams advance to the final | |
- Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings.
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
- Drawing of lots.
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAN |
IND |
 NEP |
 BHU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 9 | Qualified for the Final | 2–0 | 4–0 | 12–0 | ||
| 2 | India |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 | 1–0 | 8–0 | ||||
| 3 | Nepal |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 | 2–1 | |||||
| 4 | Bhutan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 22 | −21 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) goals scored
Matches
| Bangladesh | 12–0 | Bhutan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| India U17 | 1–0 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Bangladesh | 2–0 | India U17 |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| India U17 | 8–0 | Bhutan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Bangladesh | 4–0 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Final
| Bangladesh | 0–4 | India U17 |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Winners
| 2026 SAFF U-20 Women's Championship Champions |
|---|
 India 3rd title |
Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
| Most Valuable Player | Top Goalscorers | Best goalkeeper | Fair Play | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpi Akter |
Alpi Akter |
Munni |
India |
[4] |
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 34 goals scored in 7 matches, for an average of 4.86 goals per match.
7 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Source: Sofascore
Hat trick
- As of 7 February 2026
| Player | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munki Akhter4 | Bhutan | 12–0 | 31 January 2026 | [5] |
| Alpi Akhter | Bhutan | 12–0 | 31 January 2026 | [5] |
| Sree Moti Trishna Rani | Bhutan | 12–0 | 31 January 2026 | [5] |
| Pearl Fernandes | Bhutan | 8–0 | 4 February 2026 | [6] |
| Alpi Akhter | Nepal | 4–0 | 4 February 2026 | [7] |
Broadcasting
| Broadcaster(s) | Territory | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Sportzworkz (YouTube Channel) |
No restricted territory | SPORTZWORKZ |