Sapna Rani
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 May 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Thakurgaon, Bangladesh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | ARB College SC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | ARB College SC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Bangladesh U17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Bangladesh U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Bangladesh | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 July 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sapna Rani (born May 9, 2006; Bengali: স্বপ্না রানী) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Bangladesh women's national football team.
Early life
Sapna Rani was born in the village of Rangatungi in Thakurgaon, Bangladesh. She began her football career at the Rangatungi United Football Academy, an institution known for developing several female players who have gone on to represent the national team.[1]
Domestic career
Sapna plays for ARB College Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Women’s Football League since the club’s formation in 2021. During the 2020-21 season of the Bangladesh Women's Football League, her club, ARB College Sporting Club, finished as the runner-up.[2]
International career
In 2019, Sapna Rani received her first call-up to the Bangladesh U-17 national team. Later, in March 2022, she played in the 2018 SAFF U-18 Women's Championship held in India, where Bangladesh finished as runners-up.[3][4]
She was part of the Bangladesh squad for the 2022 SAFF Women's Championship held in Nepal. During the tournament, Bangladesh achieved a historic 3–0 victory over India in the group stage, their first-ever win against India in senior women's football. Bangladesh ultimately won the 2022 SAFF title, defeating Nepal in the final.[5]
In the 2024 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship, Sapna featured for Bangladesh in a 1–1 draw against India in the final, with the match proceeding to a penalty shootout. After all 11 players from both sides converted their penalties, officials controversially attempted to decide the winner by a coin toss, initially favoring India. Following protests and review of the tournament rules, which had no provision for such a method, both teams were declared joint champions.[6]
In October 2024, Sapna Rani was named in the Bangladesh squad for the 2024 SAFF Women’s Championship, where the team retained their title with a 2–1 victory over Nepal in the final.[7][8]
Bangladesh qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the first time in history by finishing top of Group C in the qualifiers. The team secured dominant victories over Bahrain (7–0), Myanmar (2–1), and Turkmenistan (7–0), collecting all nine points from three matches. Their historic qualification was confirmed following a 2–2 draw between Bahrain and Turkmenistan. In the final match, Sapna contributed to the win by scoring one of Bangladesh’s seven goals against Turkmenistan.[9]
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 5 July 2025
- Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sapna Rani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 July 2025 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Turkmenistan | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification |
Personal life
In addition to football, Sapna has also played cricket and has represented Rangatungi School in Thakurgaon as a wicketkeeper-batter.[4]
References
- ^ খান, মজিবর রহমান (2024-02-14). "রাঙ্গাটুঙ্গির স্বপ্না-সাগরিকারা এখন সারা দেশের গর্ব". kishor.alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "ARB College off to winning start". The Daily Star. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Nepal fall to Bangladesh, finish third in the SAFF U-18 Women's Championship 2022". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b বদিউজ্জামান (2022-10-03). "স্বপ্না রানী". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "News Details". saffederation.org. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Bangladesh and India declared joint champions". The Daily Star. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "BFF announce SAFF Women's Championship 2024 squad". daily-sun. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Bangladesh retains SAFF Women's Championship title". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Bangladesh beat Turkmenistan". Prothomalo. 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-07-07.