Jakarta, Indonesia, April 27, 2026: Bangladesh women’s hockey team’s historic international debut ended in sweet joy as they qualified for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
Bangladesh defeated Hong Kong, China 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Games Qualifier in Jakarta on Sunday, April 26, and earn a berth in Japan.
Needing just a single point to confirm qualification for the Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, 2026, Bangladesh went one better, collecting all three points in a spirited performance to top Pool A.
Also winning qualifying tickets to the Asian Games were the other semi-finalists in Jakarta – Chinese Taipei, who finished second in Pool A, and the top two teams from Pool B, Indonesia and Singapore.
The four semi-finalists will join six direct qualifiers - hosts Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand - in the 10-team women’s competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Bangladesh will hope their dream debut run will continue as they take on Singapore in the first semi-final in Jakarta. The other semi-final will be between Indonesia and Chinese Taipei.