Women's Asian Cup: Why were Bangladesh missing from the draw ceremony?

When the captains of seven out of 12 participating nations posed with the AFC Women's Asian Cup trophy against the iconic backdrop of the Sydney Opera House on July 28, Bangladesh's absence did not go unnoticed.

Many wondered why captain Afeida Khandokar and head coach Peter Butler were missing from the high-profile ceremony ahead of Bangladesh's historic maiden campaign in the continental showpiece.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), however, offered a clear explanation.

"Of course, Bangladesh captain [Afeida Khandokar, who is also captain of Bangladesh Under-20 women's team] and coach were invited to the draw ceremony of the Women's Asian Cup," Mahfuza Akhter Kiran, chairperson of the BFF Women's Committee, told The Daily Star today.

"But both of them are now part of the Bangladesh U-20 women's team preparing for the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers and are scheduled to leave for Laos on August 2. If we sent them to the draw ceremony, the training could have been hampered for four to five days, so we decided not to send them," she explained.

Kiran also dismissed suggestions that financial constraints played a role in the decision. "There was no financial problem. It was simply a decision taken to let the team concentrate fully on their training," she added.

Bangladesh aside, representatives of four participating nations were absent in the draw ceremony: North Korea, Iran, Japan and the Philippines.  

Bangladesh, ranked 128th in the world, will face a daunting challenge in Group B of the Asian Cup, having been drawn alongside defending champions China (17th), Asian powerhouse North Korea (9th), and Uzbekistan (51st).

The tournament will take place in Australia from March 1–21, 2026, with matches scheduled across Sydney, Perth, and the Gold Coast.

This comes after Bangladesh scripted history earlier this month, qualifying for the Asian Cup for the first time by topping Group C of the qualifiers in Myanmar. Butler's charges impressed with a flawless campaign, thrashing Bahrain and Turkmenistan 7-0 each before edging hosts Myanmar 2-1 in a dramatic decider.

Group A: Australia, South Korea, Philippines, Iran
Group B: North Korea, China, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh
Group C: Japan, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, India