The Bangladesh Under-20 women's football team arrived in the country on Tuesday after securing their first-ever qualification for the AFC Women's U-20 Asian Cup.
Bangladesh won two of three matches to finish runners-up in their group during the AFC Women's U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers held in Laos.
They qualified as one of the three best runners-up from across eight groups, involving 32 teams, and will participate in the 12-team finals scheduled for next year in Thailand.
Afeida Khandaker-led side made a flying start by beating hosts Laos 3-1 and thrashing Timor-Leste 8-0 but faced a harsh reality check with a 6-1 loss to South Korea in their final game.
Under the guidance of Peter Butler, Bangladesh secured their second consecutive maiden appearance in the continental tournament within less than two months, following the senior team鈥檚 qualification for the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup 2026 in Australia.
Despite massive success on the field, Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, chair of the women's wing of the Bangladesh Football Federation, expressed her disappointment over the lack of basic facilities.
鈥業 worked with FIFA and AFC and football federations run by the government fund all over the world, but we run with the sponsors' money in Bangladesh,鈥� Kiron stated at the BFF House on Monday.
鈥榃e should have a training centre where female players can stay comfortably, with facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, and grounds.鈥�
The defeat to South Korea has raised concerns about their credibility in upcoming competitions. However, Kiron mentioned that if they are not provided with basic needs, it鈥檚 unreasonable to expect good results.
鈥楾he girls don't have a ground to practice properly, then how can we expect something good from them? Despite the shortages, we have been working hard to improve the country's women's football through our own efforts, and the girls are fighting on the ground, driven by their confidence and our motivation,鈥� she added.
The former FIFA official said that the federation is planning to organise a one-month training camp in Japan. She also mentioned ongoing discussions with Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines to arrange friendly matches during the upcoming FIFA windows.
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