Bangladesh will take part in the Asian Games women’s football competition for the second time after making their debut in the previous edition in China.
The Bengal Tigresses will begin their 2026 Asian Games campaign against Asian powerhouse North Korea at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday.
They will then face another Asian giant, South Korea, at the same venue in their second group-stage match.
The 20th edition of the continental multi-sport competition is being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with football matches taking place across several Japanese cities.
The women’s football competition will be staged in Osaka, Fukuroi, Gifu and Kariya, while the men’s event will be played in Osaka, Toyota, Nagoya and Kariya.
At the last Asian Games in 2023, Japan won the women’s football gold medal in Hangzhou, while the Republic of Korea clinched the men’s title.
The 12-team women’s competition, divided into three groups, will run from September 14 to October 2. The men’s competition, featuring 15 teams following Iraq’s withdrawal, will take place from September 15 to October 3.
Bangladesh have been drawn in Group F alongside the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Myanmar.
The women in red and green, who made history by qualifying for the final round of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia in March, suffered an injury setback ahead of their Asian Games opener.
Defender Nabiran Khatun has been ruled out of the squad after sustaining a knee injury during a practice match in China last week.
Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler said the team’s strength lies in the players’ fighting mentality as they prepare for a challenging group stage.
Asian Games women’s football groups
Group E: Japan, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Thailand
Group F: South Korea, North Korea, Bangladesh, Myanmar
Group G: People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, China
Bangladesh’s fixtures
September 14
North Korea vs Bangladesh — Nagai Stadium
September 17
Bangladesh vs South Korea — Nagai Stadium
September 21
Bangladesh vs Myanmar — Nagai Stadium
Quarter-finals
September 25
Group F winners vs Group E runners-up — Shizuoka
Group E winners vs Group F/G third-place team — Shizuoka
Group G winners vs Group E/F third-place team — Nagai Stadium
Group F winners vs Group G winners — Nagai Stadium
Semi-finals
September 29
TBC vs TBC — Shizuoka
TBC vs TBC — Shizuoka
Bronze medal match
October 2
TBC vs TBC — Shizuoka
Gold medal match
October 2
TBC vs TBC — Shizuoka