Bangladesh women’s football team have made history by qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. For star forward Rituparna Chakma, who played a decisive role in the victory over Myanmar, the moment still feels unreal.
In a video message released via the Bangladesh Football Federation’s social media accounts on 4 july, Rituparna said, “we never even imagined it. when we found out we had qualified, it was truly beyond imagination. after so many years of struggle, we’ve earned a place in the Asian Cup. this is a huge achievement for us.”
Bangladesh started their qualifying campaign with a 7–0 win over Bahrain, with Rituparna among the scorers. In the following match, her two goals secured a 2–1 win against hosts Myanmar. Later that night, Bahrain and Turkmenistan played out a 2–2 draw, which confirmed Bangladesh’s qualification for the final round of the 2026 tournament in Australia. One group match still remains against Turkmenistan.
“we still have one match left, so we haven’t celebrated yet. we plan to do that afterwards,” she said.
Rituparna, who scored the title-winning goal in the 2024 SAFF Championship final, was quick to call her family after the Myanmar win. “i called my mother right away. she’s unwell, but when she heard i scored two goals and that we had qualified, she said she no longer felt sick. she was so happy,” she said.
Despite her recent success and growing spotlight, Rituparna remains humble. “the feeling after the second goal was overwhelming. i celebrated by covering my eyes but there was no special meaning behind it. i was just too emotional to express it.”
British coach Peter Butler, who took charge of the team earlier this year, has been credited by players and officials alike for instilling discipline and belief in the squad. Rituparna praised him as well. “we have a very good coach. he always wants the best for us. he has praised me, but i don’t know if i truly deserve it,” she said modestly.