TEHRAN – Iran defeated Afghanistan 6-0 on the first day of the CAFA U17 Women’s Championship on Saturday.

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan are in Dushanbe on a round-robin basis, with the final match between Tajikistan and Iran to close out the schedule on Wednesday.

Among the favorites will be regional women’s football powerhouse Uzbekistan, who are coached by winning CAFA U20 Women’s Championship boss Ilkhom Khanjariev.

Also expected to be in title contention are Iran, the champions of the regional U15 Girl’s title in Tashkent two years ago, who will be under the stewardship of highly experienced national youth coach Shadi Mahini.

The 2021 CAFA U17 Women’s Championship is the first edition of the tournament at this age level.