Bangladesh has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in history by emerging as the undefeated champions of Group C in the qualifiers.
In their opening match, Bangladesh thrashed Bahrain with a stunning 7-0 victory, followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win against Myanmar. These two wins secured their place in the tournament’s main round.
On Saturday, in what was a formality match, Bangladesh overwhelmed Turkmenistan with another dominant 7-0 win, finishing the group stage without a single loss.
The AFC Asian Cup main event is scheduled to be held in Australia in 2026, and this will mark Bangladesh’s debut in the competition.
Against Turkmenistan, Bangladesh took the lead in just the 3rd minute with a goal from Swapna. Shamsunnahar doubled the lead in the 6th minute and struck again in the 13th minute. Monika added another goal in the 16th minute.
Rituporna scored in the 17th minute, forcing Turkmenistan’s coach to make a goalkeeper substitution in the 19th minute. Tohura made it 6-0 in the 20th minute.
Though the goal spree paused for a while, Rituporna struck again in the 40th minute with a brilliant left-footed shot from a corner, making it 7-0 by halftime.
In the second half, Bangladesh lost some momentum and couldn’t add to the scoreline, despite several attacking attempts. Turkmenistan’s defense held firm, and their substitute goalkeeper made no further mistakes.
Bangladesh walked off the pitch with a commanding 7-0 win, topping the group and sealing their spot in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup