Bangladesh placed in tough group for Asian Games, face North Korea and South Korea

Bangladesh's women's football team face a difficult challenge in the upcoming Asian Games. According to the draw, Sabina Khatun and her teammates have been placed in Group C alongside three-time gold medallists North Korea, strong South Korea and Myanmar.

The draw for the 12-team women's football event was held on Thursday (July 23), placing Bangladesh in what is considered one of the toughest groups of the tournament.

North Korea, Japan and China have each won the most gold medals in Asian Games women's football, with three titles each. Alongside North Korea, Bangladesh's group also features South Korea, a regular top side in Asian football.

Bangladesh have participated in the Asian Games women's football only once before. In the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China, the Reds and Greens were eliminated in the group stage. Bangladesh failed to win any match in the four-team group, drawing one match and losing the other two.

In that edition, after an 8-0 defeat to Japan in the opening match, Bangladesh lost 6-1 to Vietnam. In the final match, Sabina and her teammates took the lead against Nepal but ended up drawing 1-1.

The 20th edition of the Asian Games will begin on 1 September in Japan's Aichi and Nagoya cities. The Bangladesh women's football team will take the field with the aim of overcoming this tough group and advancing to the next round.