The Bangladesh U-17 Women’s National Football Team will begin their campaign in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Jordan, with Group H fixtures scheduled from 13 to 17 October 2025 at Aqaba Stadium.
Ahead of the tournament, the squad will undergo a week-long training camp in the United Arab Emirates from 5 to 10 October, including preparatory matches, before flying to Jordan on 10 October. The team will depart Dhaka for Dubai on 5 October at 10:15 AM by flight EK583.
At a press conference held at the BFF House on 4 October, AFC and BFF Executive Committee member and Chairperson of the Women’s Football Committee, Mahfuza Akter Kiron, head coach A.K.M. Saiful Bari Titu, and team captain Arpita Biswas briefed the media on the team’s preparations.
Bangladesh are drawn in Group H alongside hosts Jordan and Chinese Taipei. All matches will be played at Aqaba Stadium, which features an artificial turf surface, with fixtures scheduled for 19:00 local time. Bangladesh face Jordan in their opener on 13 October, before Chinese Taipei meet Jordan on 15 October. The group concludes with Bangladesh taking on Chinese Taipei on 17 October. Only the group winners will qualify for the main tournament.
This year has already been a landmark one for Bangladesh women’s football. In June, the senior team booked their place in the Asian Cup finals, followed a month later by the U-20s, who achieved the same feat in Laos. The U-17 squad now carry the weight of continuing that momentum.
Preparation has, however, faced hurdles. The U-17s competed in the SAFF U-17 Championship earlier under coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu, but for the AFC assignment the BFF appointed technical director Titu, who only recently recovered from illness during a previous U-23 tour in Vietnam. Despite limited time with the players, Titu expressed quiet optimism: “Jordan and Chinese Taipei are ahead of us in senior rankings. Our task is difficult, but we want to give everything to qualify. The matches in Dubai against Syria and UAE will be vital for our preparation.”
Kiron, though, struck a more cautious note, acknowledging gaps in preparation and experience: “This squad do not yet have the same maturity as the generation of Sanjida and Krishna, who reached the main stage before. But the expectation is that they will fight to reach the finals. If they do qualify, BFF will strengthen their preparation further.”
Team captain Arpita, speaking at the press conference, voiced confidence from the players’ perspective: “We have been in training and will play two good matches in Dubai. That will help us improve and we believe we can achieve something positive in Jordan.”
The squad also sees Joya Chakma, an active referee and licensed coach, serving as assistant coach. Technical director Titu defended the appointment: “She has coaching credentials and success at BKSP. We have limitations in resources, and she brings value despite also being a referee.”
Adding an administrative layer, BFF executive member Tipu Sultan has been named as team leader for the Jordan trip, marking a return to a traditional structure.
