Afeida Khandaker

Afeida Khandaker Pranti (born November 18, 2006; Bengali: আফঈদা খন্দকার প্রান্তি) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for ARB College SC and the Bangladesh national team, which she captains.

Born in Satkhira District, Afeida Khandakar comes from a sporting family. Her father coached her early development in football when she accompanied her elder sister to trials for the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan. In 2016, she was admitted there as a fifth-grade student at its Savar campus, marking the formal beginning of her football journey. She continued her education alongside football, and in 2018, she was selected for the Bangladesh Football Federation's national training camp.^[1][2][3]

Afeida plays for ARB College Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Women’s Football League since the club’s formation in 2021.^[4][5]

In February 2024, Afeida Khandakar captained the Bangladesh U‑19 women’s team at the 2024 SAFF U‑19 Women’s Championship held in Bangladesh. The team advanced to the final by topping their group unbeaten, including a 4–0 win over Bhutan. In the final against India, the match ended 1–1 after regular time, and both teams converted all 11 penalties. The on-field referees initially attempted to decide the winner by a coin toss, favoring India, which led to significant protests. Upon review, officials recognized that the tournament’s rules did not allow a coin toss outcome and instead declared both teams as joint champions.^[6]

In May 2025, Afeida Khandaker was named the captain of the Bangladesh senior national team for a tri-nation series in Jordan, which included hosts Jordan and Indonesia. This appointment followed a player rebellion earlier that year, where 18 senior footballers, including former captain Sabina Khatun, protested against head coach Peter Butler and boycotted the training camp. Consequently, Afeida received the captaincy after several experienced players were omitted from the squad.^[7]

The tri-nation series in Jordan served as preparation for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers. Under Khandaker's captaincy, the Bangladesh women's football team remained unbeaten against higher-ranked opponents. On May 31, 2025, Bangladesh held Indonesia to a goalless draw in Amman. Later, on June 3, 2025, they played a 2-2 draw against host nation Jordan, coming from behind twice in the match.^[8]

Bangladesh secured qualification for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup for the first time in history. The team topped Group C in the 2026 qualifiers with, defeating Bahrain 7–0, Myanmar 2–1, and Turkmenistan 7–0, finishing with nine points from three matches. The historic qualification was confirmed after a 2–2 draw between Bahrain and Turkmenistan ensured Bangladesh’s top position in the group.^[9]

As of match played 5 July 2025

Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Afeida Khandaker goal.

Her father, Khandaker Arif Hasan, is a former footballer who played for the Satkhira district team, the Khulna divisional youth team, and Dhaka’s Shantinagar Club in the second division during 1989–90. He currently runs a local football training center and coaches gymnastics and boxing. Her mother, Momtaz Khatun, was involved in athletics and served on the Satkhira District Women's Sports Association, receiving the “Adommo Nari” award in Khulna division in 2024. Afeida’s elder sister, Afra Khandaker, is a national-level boxer and former BKSP student. Afeida joined BKSP in 2016, while Afra enrolled in 2017 for boxing.^[3]

Afeida completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 2024.^[10]