Ritu and the World Cup: Dreams and reality

Another achievement. The women’s football team has qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time. Following this historic success, the female footballers are overjoyed. Amidst the emotions and excitement, many are already dreaming of Rituparna Chakma and her teammates playing in the World Cup. But is Bangladesh really in a position to think about the World Cup?

Let’s first look at the process of qualifying for the Women’s World Cup. The next AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be held in Australia in 2026. This tournament also serves as the qualifier for the Women’s World Cup. To earn a World Cup ticket from the Asian Cup, a team must first advance past the group stage. Alongside the top two teams from each of the three groups, the best two among the third-placed teams will qualify for the next round. The four quarter-final winners among the eight teams will directly qualify for the World Cup. The losing teams will move to the playoffs. Two teams from the playoffs will also secure World Cup tickets. The two teams that lose in the playoffs will have another chance through intercontinental playoffs. Winning there will also ensure World Cup qualification.

From the above equation, it’s clear that at least six teams from Asia will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil in 2027. If the intercontinental playoff is won, the number may rise to eight. Needless to say, the strong Asian teams in women’s football like North Korea, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei will be ahead in the race. All eight countries mentioned are ranked within the top 50 in FIFA rankings. Among them are Japan (7) and North Korea (9), both in the top ten.

Now let’s see what Bangladesh has to do to play in the World Cup. On 29 July, the draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be held at Sydney Town Hall. Countries will be divided into four pots for the draw. One team from each pot will be placed into each of the three groups. For the first time in the tournament’s history, pot allocation will be based on FIFA rankings. It is important to note that 12 countries will compete in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Of these, 11 have already been confirmed. The final team will qualify from Group ‘A’ in the qualifiers, which will conclude on 19 July. The fight for Group ‘A’ supremacy is expected to be between Iran and Jordan, unless something miraculous happens. Without such a miracle, Bangladesh will be the lowest-ranked team in the main round based on rankings, meaning they will be placed in Pot 4.

From Pot 1, Bangladesh will face one team among hosts Australia or global women’s football powerhouses Japan or North Korea. From Pot 2, they will get one of China, South Korea, or Vietnam as opponents. From Pot 3, Bangladesh will be grouped with either the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, or Uzbekistan. This means the two-time SAFF champions will face, among their group opponents, the weakest team based on rankings—Uzbekistan (51). Bangladesh’s current ranking is 128. Therefore, Bangladesh will be the lowest-ranked team in the group.

Rankings are just numbers—they do not always influence the fight on the field. Bangladesh proved that in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers—securing a spot in the final round by beating Myanmar (ranked 55) and Bahrain (ranked 92) in Group ‘C’ despite being ranked 128. But the question remains: is it always possible to defy ranking expectations on the field? Those who closely follow football will unanimously say—‘no’. Chinese Taipei proved that in 2024. In two friendly matches held in Dhaka, the team ranked 42 in FIFA defeated the hosts 4-0 on 31 May and 1-0 on 3 June; this team is in Pot 3 for the Women’s Asian Cup draw.

Bangladesh lost two consecutive home matches to Chinese Taipei, who are in Pot 3 of the Women’s Asian Cup draw. Imagine what the situation could be against stronger teams from Pots 1 and 2! There is no doubt Peter Butler’s Bangladesh team will face a tough test. Overcoming several strong teams in Asian women’s football and reaching the World Cup stage would be nothing short of a miracle. From this perspective, Bangladesh’s World Cup dream is currently not realistic. Rather, having stepped onto the Asian stage, Bangladesh should now focus on strengthening its current position. If that can be done, one day the World Cup will no longer be just a dream—it will become reality.

From a previously lagging region in Asia, Bangladesh has now risen to be among Asia’s top 12 countries. This is a great achievement. However, improving further from within Asia’s top 12 is significantly harder than achieving that rank in the first place. For this, a strong domestic structure is essential. But unfortunately, there is no such structure in women’s football in the country. The last league took place in the 2023–24 season. The nine-team league was concluded in less than a month. In 36 matches, 200 goals were scored. The average number of goals per match was 5.56. Several matches turned into goal festivals. The scorelines in those matches were 19-0, 17-0, 13-0, 11-0, 10-0, and 10-0. Clearly, these statistics do not reflect a strong league.

Even this weak league is not held regularly. As a result, senior women footballers from Bangladesh are now playing in Bhutan’s league. Even in South Asia’s relatively backward Bhutan, the women’s league is vibrant. The country’s clubs also participate in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) activities. This is helping the slow but steady progress of Bhutan’s women’s football. The country’s 3-2 victory against Singapore in Group ‘A’ of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers is proof of that progress.

Even the football authorities themselves are unsure about when the next edition of the women’s domestic league will begin! In this situation, there are rumours of launching a franchise-based league for women. While organising such a league, it’s difficult to say whether the priority will be women’s football development or business. Since the current committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) took charge, business has taken precedence in various activities. If a franchise-based league becomes a tonic for advancing women’s football, then Bangladesh will secure its place on the Asian stage. Football enthusiasts are hopeful in this regard.

Despite the absence of a strong domestic structure, women’s football in the country is progressing. The Directorate of Primary Education is playing an important role in this advancement—by organising nationwide competitions for boys and girls at primary school level. As a result, women’s football is quite active at the grassroots. Several women’s football academies have been established across the country centred on this competition. Through competitions at the primary school level and academies, a significant number of women footballers are coming under the intensive care of BKSP. From there, the best are brought under BFF’s advanced training programmes.

If the chain—from academies to primary school competitions, then BKSP and finally BFF’s advanced training—can be combined with domestic competitions and leagues, women’s football in the country will stand on a strong foundation. This will pave the way for further improvement at Asia’s top level. Without reshaping domestic activities, football experts believe that development will eventually hit a ceiling and collapse.

Mahbub Sarkar: The author is a journalist