In a timely morale boost ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, the Bangladesh women’s national football team has made a significant leap in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, climbing five spots to reach 128th position. This marks their highest ranking in six years, bringing renewed optimism to the squad and coaching staff.
The jump was largely attributed to Bangladesh’s commendable performance in recent FIFA friendlies held in Jordan. The team held 94th-ranked Indonesia to a goalless draw and came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw against hosts Jordan. These results helped Bangladesh surpass the 130-mark in the rankings for the first time since 2018.
“It is a big achievement for us because we have come to this stage after working hard over the last six years, and climbing five places is very important for us. It will have a positive impact on the team ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers,” said team captain Afeida Khandokar.
The national team resumed training on Monday after a brief Eid-ul-Adha break, with most players staying at the BFF dormitory upon returning from Jordan on June 5. Head coach Peter Butler is currently conducting training sessions with nearly 45 players in preparation for the qualifiers, scheduled to be held in Myanmar from June 29 to July 5.
Meanwhile, four senior players — Monika Chakma, Maria Manda, Ritu Porna Chakma, and Shamsunnahar Jr — departed for Bhutan on Eid Day to participate in the ongoing Bhutan Women’s National League. They are expected to rejoin the national camp on June 16. Goalkeeper Rupna Chakma remained in Dhaka, having no scheduled fixtures in Bhutan.
The team is set to fly to Myanmar on June 27, two days ahead of their opening Group C matches. Bangladesh will compete against hosts Myanmar, Bahrain, and Turkmenistan in a tightly contested group.
“We believe we can do something better in the Asian Cup Qualifiers on the back of our preparation. We are hoping to produce good results against Bahrain and Turkmenistan and trying our level best against Myanmar, who are much ahead of us,” added Afeida.
Elsewhere in South Asia, most nations failed to improve their standings. India dropped one spot to 70th after two defeats against Uzbekistan, while Nepal also fell one place to 100th following a loss to Thailand. Sri Lanka slipped to 159th after a loss to Saudi Arabia. Bhutan, despite holding Hong Kong to two successive draws, remained in 171st place. Pakistan and the Maldives, both of whom were inactive during this period, retained their rankings of 159 and 163, respectively.
At the top of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, there were no changes, with the USA continuing to lead the table, followed by Spain and Germany.