History in women's football: Bangladesh qualify for Asian Cup for the first time
A 2-2 draw between Bahrain and Turkmenistan in the same group (Group C) confirmed Bangladesh as group champions with a match to spare. This result secured Bangladesh’s qualification for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup final stage.
A new chapter has been written in Bangladesh's football history. For the first time ever, the Bangladesh women's national football team has qualified for the final round of the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
This historic achievement came after Bangladesh defeated hosts Myanmar 2-1 this afternoon in Yangon. That victory all but confirmed Bangladesh's place in the final round, with the team awaiting the result of their final group match on 5 July.
However, later this evening, a 2-2 draw between Bahrain and Turkmenistan in the same group (Group C) confirmed Bangladesh as group champions with a match to spare. This result secured Bangladesh's qualification for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup final stage.
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In the ongoing qualifying round in Myanmar, Bangladesh have collected 6 points from two matches so far. Myanmar have 3 points, while Bahrain and Turkmenistan have 1 point each.
Even if Bangladesh lose their final group match against Turkmenistan on 5 July and Myanmar beat Bahrain to also finish on 6 points, Bangladesh will still top the group by virtue of their head-to-head victory over Myanmar. Only the group winners from the qualifying rounds will advance to the tournament, which will be held next year in Australia.
Bangladesh are also the first team from the qualifiers to secure a spot in the final round. Four teams had already confirmed their places prior to the qualifiers—Australia as hosts, along with Japan, South Korea, and China as the top three finishers from the previous edition. They will be joined by the eight group champions from the qualifiers.
In Bangladesh's football history, only once has the national team played in an Asian Cup final round—back in 1980, when the men's national team participated in the tournament held in Kuwait. Since then, no national team from Bangladesh has managed to qualify for the Asian Cup. The men's team are currently participating in the qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup but, with just one point from their first two matches, the road to qualification looks extremely difficult for Jamal Bhuyan and his teammates.
At a time like this, the women's national team has shown the nation that dreams are not just to be dreamt—they can indeed be achieved.
