Bangladesh undercooked for Mission Australia?

Bangladesh women’s football team have entered the final phase of their home preparation for next month’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with no further international fixtures scheduled before the tournament kicks off on March 1 -- raising fresh concerns over their readiness.

According to a highly placed Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) official, the team will fly to Sydney on February 20 and play a single practice match against a local club, likely on February 27, before beginning their campaign.

Bangladesh are placed in Group B of the 12-team competition and will open their campaign against record nine-time champions China in Sydney on March 3. They will face North Korea at the same venue three days later before concluding the group stage against Uzbekistan in Perth on March 9.

The scaled-down preparation stands in stark contrast to the ambitious roadmap unveiled last August, shortly after the team secured historic qualification for the continental showpiece in June–July.

“Mission Australia”, as the campaign was branded following the team’s triumphant return from Myanmar, has gradually lost momentum since its announcement.

Speaking to the media on August 27, BFF women’s wing chairman Mahfuza Akter Kiron had outlined plans for “six international matches and a training camp in Japan”, adding that the team would either play “two matches against New Zealand” or face “other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore or Hong Kong en route to Australia”.

In reality, only four international matches have been arranged since qualification. Bangladesh suffered two heavy away defeats to Thailand -- 3-0 and 5-1 -- during the October FIFA window, before losing 1-0 to Malaysia and 2-1 to Azerbaijan at home in early December.

The proposed three-week training camp in Japan in December was also scrapped, replaced by a domestic camp at the Korean EPZ in Chattogram.

Preparation has further been fragmented by club commitments. Most of the national team players spent months competing in the Bhutan Women’s League, a competition publicly criticised by head coach Peter Butler for its lack of intensity and competitiveness.

Over the past month and a half, the players have featured in the domestic Women’s Football League on the artificial turf at Kamalapur. The competition frequently produced lopsided, high-scoring matches -- often in double digits -- echoing concerns previously raised about the standard of football in Bhutan.

Following the conclusion of the league, forward Ritu Porna Chakma declined to comment on the team’s preparation gaps or the potential impact of prolonged exposure to artificial turf ahead of a major international tournament.

Bangladesh will head to Australia having lost all four international matches since qualifying for the Asian Cup, with just one practice game scheduled before taking on some of Asia’s most formidable sides.

In contrast, neighbours India recently completed a three-week tour of Turkey, playing six matches against local clubs, while Group B opponents Uzbekistan played two international friendlies against Vietnam. Against that backdrop, questions over Bangladesh’s match readiness, preparation standards and overall competitive edge are bound to cast a shadow over their historic campaign.