India aim for winning start against hosts Nepal in SAFF U19 Women's Championship

Pamela Conti gets ready for her first challenge with India

India will be looking for a strong start to the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship when they face off against hosts Nepal in their opening match at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium on Saturday, 31 January (2026).

In what will be the first tournament under new head coach Pamela Conti, the Indian side will look to use this tournament as preparation for the AFC U17 Asian Cup, and the Indian side looks to get a big result against a resilient Nepal side.

The Stakes

Nepal U19

The Nepal U19 side came up just short in the 2025 SAFF U20 Women’s Championship, finishing in the second place, and they also missed out on qualifying for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup as well. They will now be looking to start of 2026 in a positive fashion in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship, as they aim to prove a point against a strong India U19 side.

With home advantage on their side, the Nepal players will look to take the fight to the Indian team, harassing them with innovative, fast-paced attacking moves and also looking to keep them quiet with sturdy defensive work. A win for Bap Gopan Shahu’s side will be a brilliant start to the tournament for them, but a crushing loss can be a particularly demotivating start to hosting the competition.

India U19

The India U19 side are set for a new era under the guidance of Pamela Conti, who comes with a lot of experience in her career as the former manager of the Venezuela Women’s side. India are heavy favorites to win the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship, which means there will be some pressure on the young ladies to prove their quality and start of 2026 in a dominant fashion.

Conti will use this tournament as the platform for setting her principles and system with the team, where she looks to find her best players as well. She will urge the young ladies to play some thrilling attacking football, dominating the possession and troubling the Nepal youngsters all game long. A commanding win for India U19 will mark a bright start under Conti, but anything but a win could also pose questions to start swirling around this new set up.

Team News

Bhutan U19 does not have any notable injured players, and have named a strong squad for this tournament.

Pamela Conti has also travelled with a 23-member squad for the upcoming SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in Nepal.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 7

Nepal U19 wins – 0

India U19 wins – 7

Draws – 0

Predicted Lineups

Nepal U19 (4-2-3-1)

Juna Tamang (GK), Maya Maskey, Min Maya Shrestha, Salkoni Chaudhary, Ashika Karki, Senu Pariyar, Sushila KC, Srijana Baduwal, Anita Magar, Sangita Malla, Barsha Oli

India U19 (4-2-3-1):

Munni (GK), Elizabed Lakra, Alisha Lyndoh, Julan Nongmaithem, Alena Devi, Abhista Basnett, Thandamoni Baskey, Anita Dundung, Anushka Kumari, Valaina Fernandes, Pearl Fernandes

Players to Watch

Barsha Oli (Nepal U19)

Barsha Oli has received her call-up to the Nepal U19 Women’s Team for the upcoming tournament because of her impressive performances in the Nepal top division. The proactive young forward managed to score seven goals for Karnali Province in the 2025-26 ANFA Women’s League, showcasing impressive consistency in finding the back of the net. Oli will now face a much sterner test in the upcoming clash against India U19, but it’s also the perfect platform for her to prove her quality in an international tournament.

Oli will be looking to trouble the Indian defenders with her smart movement in the final third and constantly try to get into the danger zones. The Nepal youngster has to be clinical in putting away whatever chances come her way to stun the visitors and grab an important result for her side.

Anushka Kumari (India U19)

Anushka Kumari had a prolific outing for India in the SAFF U18 Women’s Championship in 2025, as she really tormented the majority of her opponents in it. Indeed, the vibrant young forward scored eight goals in the tournament for India, and was able to continue the good form in the AFC U17 Women’s Championship qualifiers – scoring the vital winning goal in the win over Uzbekistan U17.

Kumari aims to maintain her important place in the India U19 side under new coach Pamela Conti and will aim to start of 2026 in a dominant fashion with a positive showing in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship. Kumari will aim to trouble the hosts with her unpredictable playing style and look to be at her sharpest with her final third product, creating and finishing off chances with extreme efficiency to ensure India can start the tournament in a positive fashion.

Did you know?

• India have won the SAFF U17 Championship three times since 2017.
• Pamela Conti has worked as the Atletico Madrid U17 Women’s coach in her career.
• India U19 have scored 42 goals in seven matches against Nepal U19 in the women’s youth scene in the past.

Telecast Details

The match will take place at the Pokhara Stadium, Pokhara on Saturday (31 January, 2026). The match will kick off at 2:45 PM IST. It will be streamed live on the SportzWork YouTube channel.

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