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The Bangladesh Women's Football Team, having secured their first-ever Asia Cup qualification in the first week of July, is now embarking on another Asian mission. Team captain Afida Khandakar led the squad as they departed for Laos. The team left Dhaka at 1:30 PM for Thailand, where they will have a one-and-a-half-hour layover before boarding a flight to Laos.
The AFC U-20 Women's Tournament qualifiers are scheduled to take place in Laos from August 6-10. Bangladesh is placed in a group alongside hosts Laos, formidable South Korea, and relatively weaker Timor-Leste. With South Korea in the group, Bangladesh's chances of emerging as group champions are realistically slim. Therefore, the team's goal is to accumulate as many points and goal differences as possible to secure a spot among the top three runners-up from the eight groups, earning a place in next year's main tournament in Thailand.
As per tradition, the team contingent typically wears official kits when traveling for tournaments or matches abroad, reflecting an unwritten team culture. However, during the team’s photo session at the airport today, head coach Peter Butler was notably absent. The reason? He opted for casual attire instead of the official kit. The English coach, known for his comments on Bangladeshi football and culture, often falls short of maintaining full professionalism himself. Yet, these lapses seem to go unnoticed by the football federation.
