
THE Bangladesh women’s U-20 football team’s emphatic 4-0 win over Nepal in the title-deciding match at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka on July 21 to retain their SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship crown is a feat worth celebrating. Bangladesh had earlier secured their maiden SAFF U-20 title in the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2023. While Bangladesh needed only a point to retain the title this time, the team finished the tournament with a perfect 18 points from six matches. In the decisive match, Bangladesh took control from the outset. Forward Sagorika tested the Nepal goalkeeper within the first two minutes, setting the tone for what would follow. Although the early pressure did not yield immediate results, the breakthrough came in the eighth minute when Sagorika calmly slotted the ball into an open net. Bangladesh continued to dominate in the second half, with Sagorika — who would later be named player of the tournament — adding three more goals in the 51st, 58th, and 77th minutes to complete her quadruple. The match underscored the commitment, discipline and hard work that these young athletes have put in to claim the title.
The resounding victory is a testament to the potential of women’s football in Bangladesh. The senior national women’s team, too, has brought glory to the nation by winning the SAFF Women’s Championship titles in 2022 and 2024. These consistent achievements offer a hopeful glimpse into the future of women’s football. More importantly, they highlight how, in a society where women are often sidelined, success becomes possible when they are provided with the fillip. And this is where the authorities continue to fall short. Despite naming the women’s national football team as a recipient of the Ekushey Padak 2025 and making promises to support women’s football, the government’s commitment appears largely symbolic. In practice, women footballers continue to face significant challenges, particularly within the domestic circuit. Earlier this year, several inter-district girls’ football matches were suspended due to protests by certain groups citing religious objections — a troubling indication of the social barriers these athletes still contend with. Such incidents point to a pressing need for the football authorities to proactively address the systemic issues that plague women’s football.
The responsibility now falls squarely on the football authorities and the government to take decisive, sustained action. They must resolve the ongoing issues affecting women’s football, increase investment and support for development, and strengthen the domestic infrastructure to ensure that more young women are encouraged to take up the sport. The national and age-level women’s teams have proven their worth time and again. It is high time the authorities proved theirs.