Sweden-based forward Anika Rania Siddiqui etched her name into Bangladesh women’s football history Thursday after scoring just 11 seconds into the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 clash against Maldives in Goa, India.
The lightning-fast strike is now the fastest goal ever scored for Bangladesh women’s football and ranks among the quickest goals recorded in international football history.
Anika’s goal came straight from the opening exchanges as Bangladesh launched an immediate attack after kick-off. Rituporna Chakma raced down the flank and delivered a low cross into the box, where Anika sliced the ball into the net before Maldives could settle into the match.
The early breakthrough set the tone for Bangladesh’s eventual 4-2 victory in their opening Group B encounter as the defending champions began their title defence in emphatic fashion.
The moment carried extra significance for Anika, who was scoring her first goal in Bangladesh colours.
The 20-year-old forward had previously made three appearances for the national team during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Australia, featuring twice as a substitute and once in the starting lineup. But it took only 11 seconds in Goa for her to announce herself on the regional stage.
Her goal now shares the benchmark of the fastest goal in senior women’s international football history, matching the 11-second strike scored by Northern Ireland’s Simone Magill against Georgia in 2016.
In that match, Georgia had actually kicked off, but Northern Ireland quickly regained possession before Magill fired home to break the previous international record of 12 seconds held by United States star Alex Morgan.
Anika’s strike also places Bangladesh alongside some of the quickest goals recorded in major international tournaments.
In the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sweden’s Lena Videkull still holds the record after scoring just 30 seconds into a match against Japan during the inaugural 1991 tournament in China. Videkull’s volley inspired Sweden to an 8-0 win and remains one of the most iconic quick-fire goals in women’s football history.
Other notable records include Canada’s Janine Beckie scoring after 20 seconds against Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympics, while Tunisia’s Meriem Houij netted after only 17 seconds at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
On the men’s side, the fastest goal in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Turkey’s Hakan Sukur, who scored after 11 seconds against South Korea in the 2002 third-place playoff. At the UEFA European Championship, Albania’s Nedim Bajrami set the record in 2024 with a goal after 23 seconds against Italy.
For Bangladesh, however, Thursday’s moment belonged entirely to Anika.
The forward’s explosive introduction not only gave the Tigresses a winning start to their SAFF campaign but also delivered a landmark moment for the country’s women’s football movement, which continues to rise after back-to-back regional titles.
