Youth footballers in Kyrgyzstan on crucial mission
Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has named a 26-member Under-23 squad, coached by Qatari tactician Ahmed Rashid Al-Mannai, to take part in two major international competitions as part of its long-term plan to strengthen the game in the country. The team is set to travel to Kyrgyzstan for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers from September 1 to 11 before also playing two international friendlies against Qatar and Syria after departing Colombo yesterday.
“This is another big step for Sri Lanka football. We cannot build a strong senior team without giving our junior teams the international exposure. These boys will face strong Asian opposition, and that experience will make them better players,” said FFSL President Jaswar Umar.
Sri Lanka Under-23 football squad at a training session with coach Ahmed Rashid Al-Mannai in Colombo ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers
“Our vision is clear – every Sri Lankan national team must play regularly at international level. In the last two years, our senior team achieved success, now we want see the juniors step up. We are building a new era for Sri Lankan football,” he added.
FFSL officials believe the participation of the U-23 team in these tournaments will give young players vital exposure against Asia’s best. The matches in Kyrgyzstan and the high-profile friendlies against Qatar and Syria are expected to be a tough test.
“This is the pathway for the future,” Umar stressed.
“We are not just sending a team to participate. We want them to compete, learn and grow. These are the players who will wear the senior jersey tomorrow.”
Sri Lanka has been drafted into Group ’E’, at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers where a total of 44 teams from the region will compete under 11 groups of four teams each. Other teams in the group are Uzbekistan, Palestine and Kyrgyzstan, the hosts. Sri Lanka will face Uzbekistan on September 3 at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek in the evening, where all matches will be played. The same day night, Palestine will take on hosts Kyrgyzstan.
Sri Lanka’s second game will be against Palestine on September 6 at 4:00pm while Kyrgyzstan will take on Uzbekistan later in the evening the same day. The final round of the qualifiers will be played on September 9, with Uzbekistan taking on Palestine at 4:00pm and hosts Kyrgyzstan playing against Sri Lanka at 8:00pm. All group winners will directly qualify for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup set to take place in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to 25. In addition the four best runners-up from all 11 groups will earn qualification with host Saudi Arabia automatically qualifying as the hosting nation.
| Full Sri Lanka U-23 squad: Mohamed Rifnaz, Fareeq Ahamedh, Karunarathna David, Sasiharan Shiyaam, Muhammed Atheeif, Mohamed Sakkeel, Mohamed Ihsan, Firas Zeer, Abdul Azeez, Mohamed Faadhil, Mohamed Farhath, Mohamed Hafeel, Mohamed Hamdhi, Mohamed Abdullah, Nadeem Ahamad, Mohammed Umar, Ahamed Shareef, Muhammedhu Munsif, Pathum Gimhan, Sivanathan Aarnikan, Sanjai Anthony, Muthuccumaru Remiyan, Ranaweera Tenuka, James Samuel, Arsen Nylopuke, Suresh Rahul Anthony
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