Bangladesh have been grouped with host Nepal and Bhutan in Group A in the First SAFF U-19 Championship to be held from August 20-29 in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.
At the tie-sheet draw held at the ALL Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Complex on Monday last. Maldives, India and Afghanistan were pitted in Group B, according to a press release received from Bangladesh Football Federation here on Tuesday.
Host Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Maldives were placed in bowl 1, while the remaining two teams, Bhutan and Afghanistan were placed in bowl 2.
The seeding of the draw were based on latest AFC U-19 rankings, in which, Bangladesh were the highest ranked team, followed by India, Maldives and Nepal. Afghanistan and Bhutan were the lowest ranked teams respectively.
From bowl 2, A3 team and B3 team were drawn. Former Nepal team captain Hari Khadka did the honors of plucking the balls out of the bowl.
Likewise, another former Nepal national team skipper Raju Kaji Shakya plucked the teams of A2, B2, A1 and B1 from bowl 1. As per the fixtures, the opening match is between Nepal and Bhutan on August 20, while the Maldives will face Afghanistan on the second day.
All the group matches will be played at 3:30 pm. Speaking at the programme, CEO Indra Man Tuladhar informed that the matches will be either held at the artificial turf of the ANFA Complex or at the Army Physical Training and Sports Centre, which has a natural surface.
“If the parapets that are being built at the ANFA complex ground is completed by then we will hold all the matches here, but if it does not then the Army Physical Training and Sports Centre is the other venue,” said Tuladhar.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan have withdrawn from the championship.
