The year 2026 will be a busy one for world sport. The FIFA Football World Cup will lead the global calendar. It will take place in June and July and will be hosted by three countries for the first time. Soon after, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August. The Asian Games will follow in September in Nagoya, Japan. These events will also keep Bangladesh active in many sports.
Bangladesh football will begin the year with early movement. On 1 January, the men’s and women’s teams will attend their first press conference of the year. Both teams will then travel to Thailand for the SAFF Futsal Championship. This will mark the return of the Bangladesh women’s team to futsal after seven years.
The women’s team will have a packed schedule. From 1 March, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be played in Australia. Bangladesh will compete at this level for the first time. A fifth or sixth place finish will give the team a chance to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. It will also keep hopes alive for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
In April, the focus will again turn to Thailand. The AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup final round will be held there. Bangladesh will take part for the first time. A top four finish will earn a place in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
The women’s team have enjoyed success in South Asia. They have won the SAFF Championship twice in a row. The tournament will return in 2026. Bangladesh have shown interest in hosting it. Another title would bring a historic hat trick.
The Asian Games will be another key stage for the women’s team. The women’s event features senior national sides. It will give players like Ritu Porna and Afida a chance to perform on a big stage.
The men’s team will face fewer matches. Their main task will come on 31 March in the final game of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Hamza and Jamal will lead the side against Singapore. Bangladesh lost to Singapore at home in Dhaka on 10 June despite a strong effort. Even after the arrival of Hamza and Samit, qualification slipped away. A win would still allow the campaign to end on a positive note. The Bangladesh Football Federation is trying to arrange one match before that fixture.
After the qualifiers, the men’s team have no fixed plan. There will be a June international window before the World Cup. Many teams may avoid playing during that period. The men’s SAFF Championship is expected in 2026. It is likely to be held between 19 September and 6 October. It was first planned for June but moved due to the World Cup.
The Asian Games will fall around the same time. Football at the Games will feature only 16 teams. Apart from India, other South Asian teams are unlikely to compete. This reduces problems in holding the SAFF Championship during the same window.
Bangladesh have played football at the Asian Games since 1978. This time, they will miss out. In the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, Bangladesh reached the next round for the first time. The Asian Cup remains a rare memory, with the team playing only once in 1980. For many years, the Asian Games were the biggest stage for Bangladesh football. That situation is now changing under the new format.
There will also be action for age group teams. Both men’s and women’s sides will play in several SAFF and AFC events. Domestic football will continue as well. Plans are in place to bring back the Super Cup with a prize fund of one crore taka after more than ten years.
Beyond football, Bangladesh will also focus on multi sport events. The Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games are seen as the biggest events after the Olympics. They will take place within three months of each other. Bangladesh’s medal hopes at the Commonwealth Games will be limited as shooting and archery are not included. The country will compete in weightlifting, boxing, athletics, and swimming.
The Asian Games usually draw the most attention in Bangladesh. The nation once won medals in kabaddi on a regular basis. That run stopped in 2014. The women’s kabaddi team recently won bronze at the World Cup. The Asian Games will now offer a chance to bring kabaddi medals back.
Several other events will also take place in 2026. The Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from 31 October to 13 November. Bangladesh will take part in this event. The Asian Beach Games will also be staged in the same year. Bangladesh will compete in a few disciplines from 22 to 30 April.
