Bangladesh Under-20 women’s football team have created history, securing their first-ever spot in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup final round as one of the top three runners-up sides - despite a 6-1 defeat to South Korea in the final Group H match -thanks to Lebanon’s 8-0 loss to China Sunday.
This achievement however, is not a surprise - Bangladesh women’s football has been on a remarkable rise for quite some time.
Recently, the senior women’s national team made history by qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, set to be held in Australia.
That triumph was followed by the U-20 girls’ SAFF Championship victory in Dhaka, and more recently, the women's senior side climbed 24 places to 104th in the latest FIFA rankings.
Sunday's qualification adds yet another glorious chapter to their remarkable rise.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s qualification hopes were left hanging after the defeat to South Korea at New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane.
The equation was straightforward: Lebanon had to lose to China in Group E for Bangladesh to go through.
In the end, Lebanon were outclassed, and their heavy loss ensured that five of the eight runners-up finished below Bangladesh.
In the South Korea clash, Bangladesh made a dream start as Sree Moti Trishna - fresh from her hat-trick against Timor-Leste - gave her side the lead in the 15th minute.
The goal was the product of a fine build-up: Mosammat Sagorika played the ball to Shanti Mardi, who delivered a perfect cross from the left into the box.
South Korea equalized just four minutes later and took the lead soon after the break.
The second half proved challenging for Peter Butler’s side, as they conceded four more goals to end the game 6-1.
With this result, Bangladesh finished runners-up in Group H with six points, while South Korea topped with nine.
The final tournament will be held in Thailand next year.
In Bangladesh football history, the men’s national team first appeared in the Asian Cup in 1980 in Kuwait.
The women’s U-17 team qualified in 2005 and repeated the feat in 2017 and 2019.
More recently, in July, the senior women’s team - led by Ritu Porna Chakma, Tohura Khatun and others - qualified for the Asian Cup main round for the first time.
Now, Sagorika and her U-20 squad have etched their own names into the record books.
