Bangladesh storm into SAFF Women’s Championship Semifinals with dominant win over Maldives

Defending champions Bangladesh made a flying start to their SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 campaign, securing a commanding 4-2 victory over Maldives to book a place in the semifinals.

The Group-stage encounter, held on Thursday (May 28) at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium, saw Bangladesh display attacking intent from the opening whistle. With sharp passing, midfield dominance and relentless pressure in the final third, the women in red and green kept the Maldivian defence under constant threat.

Bangladesh took control early in the match and went into the break with a 2-1 lead after an impressive first-half performance. Their fluid attacking football and quick transitions proved too much for Maldives to handle.

However, Maldives fought back after the restart and capitalised on defensive lapses to level the score at 2-2, briefly putting the defending champions under pressure.

Bangladesh responded in emphatic fashion. Tactical adjustments helped them regain control of the match before Suravi Akter Preeti produced a clinical finish and Umela added another stunning strike to restore Bangladesh’s dominance.

The reigning champions eventually sealed a convincing 4-2 win, collecting all three points and confirming their place in the semifinals in style.

Having won the previous two editions in 2022 and 2024, Bangladesh have now launched their quest for a historic third consecutive SAFF Women’s Championship title on a confident note. The emphatic opening victory also underlined their status as one of the tournament favourites once again.