The Bangladesh women’s football team is set to make history by participating in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. The tournament will take place in Australia from 1 to 21 March 2026, and the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has initiated long-term preparations ahead of the milestone event.
As part of their build-up, the squad recently completed an intensive training camp at the Korean EPZ in Chattogram, which lasted over two weeks. The players returned to Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon to continue the next phase of training.
The team will play two international friendlies against Thailand on 25 and 28 October. Several key players, including captain Afeida Khandaker, Rituporna Chakma, Rupna Chakma, Monika Chakma and Sheuli Azim, arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day from Bhutan, where they are currently playing in the local league.
Maria Manda will join the squad later due to her commitment to a league fixture in Bhutan. She is expected to return to Dhaka two days later.
The national team will hold a three-day training camp in Dhaka from 18 to 20 October, before departing for Thailand on 21 October to play the two matches. Thailand, a regular contender in the Asian Cup, are currently ranked 53rd in the FIFA women’s rankings.
Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler has prioritised exposing the squad to higher-ranked opponents in preparation for the continental competition. His strategy contrasts with that of men’s national team coach Javier Cabrera, who continues to focus largely on matches against neighbouring South Asian teams such as Nepal and Bhutan.
The BFF views the Asia Cup appearance as a major step forward for women’s football in Bangladesh and hopes the experience will help develop the team further at the international level.
