Bangladesh’s women’s hockey team did not exist as a senior side until this year. On September 20, they step onto the Asian Games pitch for the first time, against one of the sport’s biggest names. Bangladesh will play China at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium, part of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. China arrives as an auto-qualified powerhouse in Asian women’s hockey. Bangladesh arrives as a team that played its first-ever senior international match only five months earlier.
A Team Built From Scratch
Bangladesh’s senior women’s national hockey team was formed specifically for this tournament. Before this year, the country’s women had only competed at under-18 and under-21 levels. The senior side’s first international outing came in April, against Chinese Taipei in the Asian Games Qualifiers in Jakarta, and it did not disappoint. Bangladesh, fielding mostly Under-21 players, raced to a 3-1 lead before Chinese Taipei clawed back, and the match finished in a thrilling 5-5 draw.
A Qualifying Run Nobody Expected
That draw turned out to be the start of something bigger. Two days later, Bangladesh claimed their first-ever senior international win, beating Uzbekistan 3-2, with Arpita Pal among the standout scorers. In their final group match, Bangladesh fell behind Hong Kong in the opening minute, before Nadia Ema equalised and Kona Akter struck the decisive goal in the 39th minute to seal a 2-1 win. That result topped Pool A with seven points from three matches, sending Bangladesh through to the semi-finals, and with it, qualification for the Asian Games for the first time in the team’s history.
How They Got Here
Bangladesh advanced from a semi-final matchup against Singapore to lock in their spot among the eight teams that would join hosts Japan and other automatically qualified sides, China, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand, at the main event. Across the entire qualifying campaign, Arpita Pal and Kona Akter each scored three goals, with Riya Airin adding two more, as Bangladesh notched ten goals in their debut run.
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A Rivalry With History
Bangladesh and China have crossed paths before, though not favourably for Bangladesh. Back in 2019, at the team’s very first international appearance, China handed Bangladesh a 6-0 defeat, still the heaviest loss in the senior team’s short history. That earlier meeting adds extra weight to Saturday’s rematch, seven years and a completely rebuilt senior program later.
What Comes Next
For a team that did not exist in its current form a year ago, simply stepping onto the Asian Games pitch is already a milestone. Bangladesh’s women’s hockey team enters the tournament with the FIH ranking at 85, filled with young players who cut their teeth together during this year’s remarkable qualifying run. Whatever the scoreline against China, the match itself marks a new chapter for a program that has moved from nonexistence to the Asian Games main draw in a matter of months.
