Sports Desk:

Bangladesh national women’s footballers Ritu Porna Chakma and Monika Chakma reached Bhutan on Monday morning to join the Paro FC.

Both players were part of the Bangladesh team that recently qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 with impressive wins over Bahrain, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers.

Their journey was nothing short of a whirlwind. The team returned home from Myanmar at 1:45 AM BST on Monday, followed by a grand reception at Hatirjheel starting at 3:15 AM. After attending the function, Ritu and Monika stopped at the BFF House in Motijheel for two hours before heading straight back to the airport for their early morning flight to Bhutan.

A total of ten Bangladeshi footballers are playing in the Bhutan Women’s League this season. Rupna Chakma, Maria Manda, and Shamsunnahar are representing Transport United FC and Thimphu City FC, and are scheduled to leave for Bhutan five days later.

Five other Bangladeshi players – Sabina Khatun, Sanjida Akhter, Masura Parvin, Krishna Rani Sarkar, and Matsushima Sumaya – are also playing in the league. However, they currently remain outside the national team radar following a rebel against current head coach Peter Butler.