Bangladesh qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in their history after finishing as unbeaten champions of Group C in the 2026 qualifiers.
The women’s team rounded off their campaign in spectacular style with a 7–0 win over Turkmenistan on 5 July at the Yangon Stadium in Myanmar.
Peter Butler’s side had already secured qualification with a game to spare, having hammered Bahrain 7–0 in the opener and pulled off a landmark 2–1 victory over hosts Myanmar. Even with qualification already sealed, the Tigresses showed no signs of letting up in their final group fixture, dismantling a Turkmenistan side that had previously lost heavily to Myanmar.
Bangladesh were ruthless from the outset. Swapna Rani opened the floodgates in the third minute with a long-range drive from outside the box that flew into the top corner. Just three minutes later, Shamsunnahar Jr doubled the lead from a Monika Chakma pass, before netting again in the 13th minute to make it 3–0.
Three more goals followed in quick succession—Monika Chakma struck in the 16th, Rituparna Chakma added the fifth in the 17th, and Tahura Khatun bagged the sixth in the 20th minute, which prompted Turkmenistan to replace their goalkeeper. The final blow of the half came in the 40th minute when Monika Chakma played a short corner to Rituparna, who brought the ball under control with her right foot and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike into the net.
At half-time, Bangladesh led 7–0. While there were no further goals in the second half, they maintained dominance throughout, with Maria Manda and Unnoti Khatun leading several attacking moves. Turkmenistan’s second-half goalkeeper, however, managed to keep the scoreline from worsening.
Bangladesh finished the qualifiers with three wins from three matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding just once—against Myanmar. The final group standings reflected their complete control of proceedings, a stark contrast to previous Asian Cup qualifying campaigns in which Bangladesh failed to win a match and conceded heavily.
This campaign marks a major milestone for the women’s team, who had already won back-to-back SAFF Championships but had long struggled on the Asian stage. Their victory over Myanmar, a regular participant in the main tournament, was especially telling.
The team are scheduled to return to Dhaka in the early hours of 6 July. The Bangladesh Football Federation has planned a special reception at midnight to honour the squad’s historic achievement.
Bangladesh XI vs Turkmenistan: Rupna Chakma (Sworna Rani Mondal), Afeida Khandakar, Shiuli Azim (Umelha), Shamsunnahar Jr (Sultana), Kohati Kisku, Maria Manda, Monika Chakma, Swapna Rani (Shaheda Akter Ripa), Rituparna Chakma (Halima), Shamsunnahar, Tahura Khatun.