The Bangladesh women's football team will return home today (Monday) following their campaign in the SAFF Women's Championship 2026, bringing the curtain down on a journey that fell one step short of a place in history.
The team is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:05 pm (Bangladesh time) on a flight from Goa, India, where their dream of securing an unprecedented third consecutive SAFF title came to an end in Saturday's final.
Bangladesh entered the tournament as defending champions and standard-bearers of South Asian women's football, carrying hopes of completing a historic hat-trick after lifting the trophy in the previous two editions. Instead, the crown slipped from their grasp as hosts India claimed a 3-1 victory in the final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao in the Indian State of Goa.
The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly after Ritu Porna Chakma's brilliant first-half equaliser had restored belief following Pyari Xaxa's opener. Yet India seized the initiative soon after the restart and ultimately reclaimed the trophy for a sixth time. Despite the disappointment, Bangladesh's campaign once again underlined the remarkable transformation of the women's programme over the past decade. Once viewed as challengers seeking to close the gap on the region's traditional powers, the women in red and green travelled to Goa as the team everyone sought to dethrone.
Throughout the tournament, Peter Butler's side displayed the resilience that have become hallmarks of this generation. From navigating a difficult group phase to overcoming Nepal in the semi-finals, Bangladesh repeatedly showed an ability to rise to the occasion. In the meantime, a breach in team combination and gap in communication are also witnessed.
The final chapter, however, belonged to India. In Goa, a land long known as the "Rome of the East", Bangladesh's reign reached its conclusion, though not without leaving a lasting imprint on the competition.
The Bangladesh Football Federation, in a statement issued ahead of the team's return, expressed gratitude to supporters, fans, media representatives and stakeholders for their unwavering encouragement throughout the campaign.
While the trophy will not be travelling back to Dhaka, the achievements of this generation remain firmly etched in the story of South Asian football. Their reign may have ended beneath the floodlights of Margao, but the legacy of the Bengal Tigresses continues to cast a long shadow across the region's game.
