Another feather in Sabina-led Bangladesh's cap

Bangladesh wrote another chapter in the country’s women’s football history as Sabina and Co emerged unbeaten champions of the inaugural SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship, sealing the title with a resounding 14-2 victory over Maldives in their last match at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok yesterday.

The women in red and green finished the seven-team round-robin tournament with 16 points from six matches, ending four points clear of runners-up India and six ahead of third-placed Bhutan.

The maiden futsal triumph extends Bangladesh’s recent dominance in women’s football. It follows their back-to-back SAFF Women’s Championship titles and historic qualification for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, alongside sustained success at age-group levels on the regional and continental stage.

Captain Sabina Khatun, who led Bangladesh to SAFF Women’s Championship titles in 2022 and 2024, once again underlined her importance by guiding the team to glory in the new futsal format. The 32-year-old returned to the national colours after a 15-month absence and proved her worth emphatically, scoring a tournament-high 14 goals in six matches. She was ably supported by experienced campaigners Krishna Rani Sarkar and Matsushima Sumaya, who contributed seven and four goals respectively.

This title, however, was about more than silverware. It was a story of redemption, tactical evolution and the unyielding spirit of players who refused to be defined by past exclusion.

Ahead of the tournament, expectations were low. Bangladesh were widely considered outsiders in the fast-paced futsal format, with India and Nepal tipped as favourites. Played on a hard surface with five players per side and a low-bounce ball, futsal demands relentless stamina, rapid transitions and technical precision in tight spaces.

Yet Saeid Khodarahmi’s charges quickly defied those assumptions. They announced their credentials with a commanding 3-1 win over India in the opening match and followed it up with consistent, increasingly assured performances. Their experience, awareness and composure proved well suited to the tactical demands of futsal.

Khodarahmi implemented a high-pressing system built around swift transitions, effectively utilising Sabina’s clinical finishing to dismantle regional powerhouses. Rather than treating his players as discarded figures, he moulded them into seasoned professionals with a point to prove.

Bangladesh’s technical flair, one-touch passing and intelligent movement stood out even in Thailand’s humid conditions, establishing their supremacy in the new format.