Bangladesh women's team to play preparatory matches in Thailand before SAFF

The Bangladesh women's football team will undergo preparatory camp in Thailand before the SAFF Women's Championship in Goa, India. The women in red and green, led by captain Afeida Khandaker and Rituporna Chakma, will play two friendly matches as part of their final preparations. Under coach Peter Butler, the team is dreaming of a hat-trick of SAFF titles.

The team held a training camp at the Chattogram EPZ from April 23 to May 3, sweating hard for the sole purpose of retaining the SAFF trophy for the third consecutive time after winning in 2024 and 2025. After the domestic camp, they will now travel abroad to sharpen their skills further.

The team will travel to Thailand for a 15-day special training camp, which will include both rigorous practice sessions and match practice.

Mahfuza Akter Kiran, Chairperson of the BFF Women's Wing, said the team will play two preparatory matches against two clubs from Thailand's Premier League. They will face Kasem Bundit FC on May 10 and Bangkok Sports School FC on May 17. After that, they will depart for India on May 21.

Captain Afeida Khandaker said, "After the camp in Chattogram, we are now going to Thailand. Earlier, we did not get opportunities to hold camps abroad. The football federation is now providing those opportunities. We will try to utilise these opportunities and play well. We have the chance to become hat-trick champions. Inshallah, we will be able to achieve it — everyone please pray for us."

This tour marks the beginning of Bangladesh's mission to become the first women's team in SAFF history to win three consecutive titles. Coach Peter Butler, in his final assignment with the team, also aims to celebrate a trophy.

Final 23-member squad announced
Coach Peter Butler announced the final 23-member squad today. Swapna and Munki were dropped due to poor performance. Naviron was ruled out due to an ACL injury. Captain Afeida Khandaker will retain the armband for the national team despite losing the captaincy of the age-based team. Expatriate footballer Anika Rania Siddiqui has also been included in the squad.