Bangladesh women’s football team have created history by qualifying for the final round of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time, a landmark achievement that also opens the door to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Rituparna Chakma led from the front, scoring a brilliant brace in Bangladesh’s 2–1 win over hosts Myanmar on 2 July in Yangon. It was their second straight victory in the qualifiers after thrashing Bahrain 7–0 in the opening match. The result put Bangladesh top of Group C with one match to spare, and their progression to the final round was confirmed when Bahrain and Turkmenistan played out a draw later that day.
This is the first time Bangladesh women have reached the final stage of the continental competition, which will take place in Australia from 1 to 21 March 2026. The Asian Cup will double as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, giving Rituparna and her teammates a real shot at the global stage.
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup began in 1975. Until the last edition in 2022, 22 teams had taken part. Bangladesh have now become the 23rd nation to qualify for the final round. As of now, five teams have confirmed participation in the 2026 edition, hosts Australia, defending champions China, runners-up South Korea, third-placed Japan, and now Bangladesh.
Twelve teams will compete in the final round, which will be hosted across five venues in Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast. The draw for the group stage will be held on 29 July at Sydney Town Hall. Australia will be placed in Group A as hosts, while the remaining 11 teams will be divided into four pots based on the latest FIFA rankings from 12 June. Bangladesh, ranked 128th, are expected to be placed in Pot 4.
The final round will feature three groups of four teams each. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will move on to the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and final.
The 2026 Women’s Asian Cup will act as the main qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The top six teams from the tournament will earn direct qualification. The remaining two spots will be decided via an intercontinental play-off.
The four semi-finalists will qualify directly for the World Cup. The four teams eliminated in the quarter-finals will play two play-in matches — the winners of which will take the final two Asian slots. The losing teams from these matches will go into the intercontinental play-off round.
In addition to World Cup qualification, the Asian Cup will also serve as the preliminary round for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The eight quarter-finalists will be divided into two groups, with the winners of each group earning a spot in the Olympic Games.