Seven days into their preparations for next March's AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia, Afeida Khandokar and her teammates are relishing the opportunity to train in a new, refreshing environment at the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Anwara, Chattogram.

Butler's reflections after latest campaign struck a balance between pride and pragmatism.

Preparations are set to begin in September, with 19-year-old Sweden-based forward Anika Siddiqui likely to come to Bangladesh for a trial prior to it.

Bangladesh coach Peter Butler was looking to embrace the challenge of facing strong opponents after his side were drawn in a tough group, which included defending champions China, in their maiden Women's Asian Cup campaign.

Her transformation from a striker makes her current role all the more fascinating.

If the Bangladesh women's football team had surpassed all expectations by emerging as SAFF champions in 2022, they have completely blown it out of the water in 2025, by qualifying for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026.

After topping their group and securing a spot in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the very first time, the Bangladesh women’s football team is set to return to the country at midnight today and the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has made the bizarre decision of hosting a felicitation programme for the team at 2:30 in the night.

If winning the SAFF Championship in 2022 and 2024 warranted the Bangladesh women’s team an open-top bus parade, what would be a proportionally appropriate celebration for the miracle they have just pulled off in Myanmar?

The Asian Cup berth not only gives Bangladesh an opportunity to rub shoulders against the top 11 teams of the continent, it also opens up their path to the qualifiers for the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and the Los Angeles Olympics the following year.

The Chief Adviser also hoped that this achievement would inspire the next generation and uplift the country’s stature on the international stage in the coming days.