DHAKA, March 2, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh are set to make their debut in the AFC 
Women's Asian Cup as they face nine times champions China scheduled to be 
held at Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia tomorrow (Tuesday).

The match kicks off at 2 pm (Bangladesh time).

Addressing at a pre-match press conference following the team's training 
session held at the conference room of Western Sydney Stadium today (Monday).

Bangladesh skipper Afida Khandakar said China is good in every way. They are 
the Asian champions and taking part in the tournament as strong a side. 

Afida admitted that they are quite lucky enough to play against China because 
her side would be able to learn a lot from this match.

The Bangladesh captain said although China is a strong side but they would 
not give up the fight, rather her girls are prepared to fight neck to neck to 
get a good result.
 
Replying to a question Afeida said "We don't really have any pressure before 
the China match because we have come here to represent the country. It is 
natural the people of the country will have expectations on us but there is 
no pressure on us."

The Bangladesh team arrived in Sydney a little early to adapt to the 
conditions. They have been practicing for a little over a week. Afeida said 
they would try to implement the coach's plan in the tournament.

"We'll try to do something good .....and our opponents are China, North 
Korea, Uzbekistan. They are very strong teams ....we'll play them the way the 
coach instructed us to play, added the Bangladesh captain.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh women's national football team completed their final 
training session ahead of their opening fixture with a focused workout at 
Jubilee Stadium.

The team trained in a sharp and match-oriented session began with warm-up 
routines and structured passing drills to maintain rhythm and coordination. 
The squad then played a competitive 30-minute 11v11 internal match, followed 
by dedicated set-piece rehearsals and finishing exercises to fine-tune 
tactical execution ahead of match day.

Following the training session, Bangladesh Football Federation President 
Tabith Awal visited the team hotel to meet the players and coaching staff. He 
conveyed his best wishes to the squad ahead of the match, offering words of 
encouragement and expressing his full confidence in the team's performance.