Against all odds: Bangladesh women set for historic Asian Cup debut despite social, political hurdles

Bangladesh’s women’s football team will step onto the continental stage for the first time at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, carrying not just national hopes but the weight of years of social resistance and hardship.In a country of 170 million where social stigma, poverty and conservative attitudes have long pushed girls away from sport, qualification itself has been a landmark achievement.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of their March 3 opener in Australia.In rural Bangladesh especially, girls are discouraged — and sometimes harassed — for playing football.

“Girls often had to quit football after primary school,” Khandaker said. “Neighbours would complain about how teenage girls could play football while wearing shorts.”Beyond criticism, many face pressure to marry before turning 18. Local league player Ennima Khanom Richi, 20, told AFP that several teammates were forced into arranged marriages. “Families often cannot bear the social pressure, so they stop their girls from playing,” she said.

Political turbulence has compounded the struggle. Islamist activists, emboldened after the 2024 uprising, have accused women athletes of immodesty, with several matches cancelled last year following pitch invasions and threats.“My sister and I both wanted to be footballers, and for that my parents — especially my mother — had to endure bitter words,” Khandaker said. Her father, Khandaker Arif Hossain Prince, told AFP many aspiring players come from marginalised families.

“Some of their parents are rickshaw pullers, labourers, or tea vendors… Some cannot afford it and quit football.”Yet attitudes are slowly shifting. “We didn’t even have a national women’s team before 2008,” Mahfuza Akter Kiron, head of the Bangladesh Football Federation’s women’s wing, told AFP. “It was a real struggle for them to play football.”Coach Saiful Bari Titu called it “a privilege” to even speak about the team, adding: “They faced a lot of protests.”As Bangladesh prepare to face nine-time champions China, Khandaker remains realistic. “China and North Korea are far ahead of us in the rankings… but we will give our best.”