The Bangladesh national women鈥檚 team is set to commence their campaign in the AFC Women鈥檚 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers with a sense of optimism as they face the higher-ranked Bahrain at the Thuwunna Stadium in Myanmar today.
The four-team Group C match is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm Bangladesh Standard Time.
Bangladesh coach Peter Butler is confident that the four friendly matches that they played against higher-ranked opponents, as part of their preparation for the qualifiers will significantly benefit the team.
Bangladesh drew against two higher-ranked teams, Jordan 2-2 and Indonesia 0-0, in Amman in May-June after conceding an identical margin 3-1 defeat to another higher-ranked UAE in February-March.聽聽
鈥楢gainst higher-ranked teams, such as UAE, Jordan and Indonesia, we did very well鈥� It was a learning of where we are and what we are capable of doing,鈥� said Butler at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.聽
鈥楥ommitments remain the same, well prepared, full of optimism and positivity... We prepared in a professional manner, and I would never dismiss our chances of qualifying,鈥� continued the Englishman.聽
鈥榃e never qualified before, and we have to be realistic鈥� But, to be honest with ourselves, to say, 鈥楥an we qualify from this group? The answer to that, if everybody brings their A (best) game, I think we can.鈥�
Bahrain coach Mohammed Adnan Hussain was also optimistic, as his side also played two draws, 0-0 and 2-2, in friendlies against the UAE before conceding a 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia between May 29 and June 12 before flying to Myanmar.聽
鈥極ur preparation was good. We have short-time training here. For the gathering of the players, we have three games, two against the Emirates (UAE) and one against Saudi Arabia. The team is mixed between young and senior players. Hopefully, we can present something good,鈥� said the Bahrain coach.
Bangladesh (128th), who are 36 places behind Bahrain (92nd) in the current FIFA rankings, will play their next two matches against hosts and 55-ranked Myanmar on July 2 and against 141-ranked Turkmenistan on July 5.
The group champions will be joining defending champions China, Korea Republic and Japan in the final stage, scheduled to be staged across three cities 鈥�
Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast in Australia 鈥� from March 1 to 21, 2026.