After a prolonged fight for existence, the Bangladeshi women’s football team will embark on the journey of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
In a country with a population of over 170 million prevalent with social stigma and conservative attitudes and mostly pushing the girls away from sports, qualification itself is a landmark event.
While talking to AFP, the national team captain, Afeida Khandaker, stated, “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive.”
It is a known scenario for rural Bangladeshi girls to be discouraged and harassed for playing football.
“Girls often had to quit football after primary school,” Khandaker said. “Neighbours would complain about how teenage girls could play football while wearing shorts.”
Beyond criticism, many face pressure to marry before turning 18. Local league player Ennima Khanom Richi, 20, told AFP that several teammates were forced into arranged marriages. “Families often cannot bear the social pressure, so they stop their girls from playing,” she said.
Beyond public criticism, many young women also face intense social pressure to marry before they turn 18.
Ennima Khanom Richi, a 20-year-old local league footballer, told AFP that several of her teammates were pushed into arranged marriages while still in their teens. She said some had little choice in the matter, forced to leave the sport just as their careers were beginning to take shape.
“My sister and I both wanted to be footballers, and for that my parents, especially my mother, had to endure bitter words,” Khandaker said, recalling the criticism her family faced for allowing their daughters to pursue the sport.
Her father, Khandaker Arif Hossain Prince, pointed to the economic realities behind many untold stories. “Some of their parents are rickshaw pullers, labourers, or tea vendors… Some cannot afford it and quit football,” he told AFP, underlining how financial hardship often forces talented girls to walk away from the game.
Still, change is visible. Mahfuza Akter Kiron, head of the women’s wing of the Bangladesh Football Federation, reflected on how recent the journey has been. “We didn’t even have a national women’s team before 2008,” she said. “It was a real struggle for them to play football.”
That struggle extended beyond infrastructure. Coach Saiful Bari Titu described it as “a privilege” to even speak about the current team. “They faced a lot of protests,” he added, acknowledging the social resistance that once shadowed women’s football in the country.
Now, as Bangladesh prepares to take on nine-time champions China, Khandaker remains grounded about the scale of the challenge ahead. “China and North Korea are far ahead of us in the rankings… but we will give our best,” she said, balancing realism with resolve.
