Singapore: The National Women's Junior Squad are using their Singapore Tour, which began today, as a platform to fine-tune preparations ahead of the 2026 Women's Junior Asia Cup in Moqi, China, from Sept 4 to 13. National Women's Junior Squad head coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim said the team had to revise its plans after South Korea withdrew at the last minute from a proposed visit to Kuala Lumpur.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the team initially planned to play several friendly matches against stronger teams like South Korea. However, the withdrawal came due to South Korea's domestic competition commitments and budget constraints. Consequently, the squad has shifted their focus to playing against Singapore's senior team to evaluate their performance against a side ranked below them.

Nasihin noted that Singapore's playing style aligns well with the national junior squad's preparation needs. "Singapore play in a structured manner. They defend and attack collectively, similar to teams at the international level. That is exactly what we want in our preparations," he explained. The training tour's emphasis is on player development and the effectiveness of the team's attacking structure throughout the four matches in Singapore.

The coach also mentioned that 20 players traveled to Singapore, while three others-Nur Zariefah Dania Mazlan, Nur Hanie Najwa Tarmizi, and Iman Adawiyah Mohd Suhaimi-were rested after recently returning from the senior squad's European Tour. The tour offers these young athletes an opportunity to secure spots in the Junior Asia Cup squad, which serves as the qualifier for the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup.

"This squad is also very young, with many players aged 18, and we even have seven players who are only 16 years old. This shows that we are building the team for the long term," Nasihin emphasized.

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