Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation General Secretary SM Newaz Sohag announced on Saturday that the second Women’s Kabaddi World Cup will be held in Dhaka from 15 to 25 November 2025, marking the first time the country will host the global event. The official matches will take place at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in Mirpur, with 11 nations confirming participation.
Speaking at a press conference in Dhaka, Sohag said the tournament is part of the government’s “Festival of Youth” initiative and represents a historic step for women’s kabaddi in the country. “We are proud to host the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup for the first time. This is a milestone for Bangladesh and an opportunity to show our organisational capability on the world stage,” he said.
According to Sohag, Bangladesh, India, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Iran, Kenya, Nepal, Poland, Thailand, Uganda and Zanzibar will take part.
Japan, Netherlands and Korea were initially in talks to join, while Pakistan and Poland were listed as standby teams. “Pakistan were not comfortable sending a team because they were not prepared, but Poland confirmed. IKF finalised the list after discussions,” Sohag explained. He also said Argentina showed late interest but withdrew at the last moment.
Sohag said security planning has been given the highest priority. “We are concerned about the safety of all 11 visiting nations. We have increased the number of female officers to ensure proper support for the players,” he confirmed.
Regarding refereeing neutrality, he said bias concerns have been addressed. “There will be no bias in officiating. In kabaddi, Indian referees are more experienced, which is why their numbers are higher, but the process will be fair,” he emphasised.
Participating nations have already started arriving in Dhaka from 14 November. Matches begin on 17 November, and the final will be played on 24 November.
Sohag said the Mirpur venue was selected for its suitability for international standards. “Our other facilities are not at the level required for a global kabaddi event, so Mirpur was the logical choice.”
Bangladesh named their World Cup squad at the press conference:
Shraboni Mallik, Brishti Biswas, Rupali Akter (senior) Captain, Smriti Akter, Rekha Akhtari, Mebi Chakma, Rupali Akter, Azwara Ratri, Sucharita Chakma, Khadija Khatun, Loba Akter, Yasmin Khanom, Israt Jahan Sadiqa and Tahreem.
Standby players: Afroza and Lumbini Chakma.
All the captains of eleven participating nations will be present to the Chief Advisor’s residence to unveil the trophy on Sunday.
The team has been training at BKSP since winning a historic medal at the Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship. “The players have worked hard. We believe that confidence will help us achieve something bigger in the World Cup,” Sohag said.
