Afeida Khandaker Pranti (born November 18, 2006; Bengali: à ¦Âà ¦«à ¦Âà ¦¦à ¦¾ à ¦Âà ¦¨à §Âà ¦¦à ¦Âà ¦¾à ¦° à ¦ªà §Âà ¦°à ¦¾à ¦¨à §Âà ¦¤à ¦¿) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Rajshahi Stars and the Bangladesh national team, which she captains.
Born in Satkhira District, Afeida Khandaker 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.
Afeida played for ARB College Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Women's Football League since the club's formation in 2021.
In 2025, Afeida joined Bhutan Women's National League club Royal Thimphu College.
On 22 December 2025, Newcomer Rajshahi Stars FC fielded a strong squad in the Bangladesh Women's Football League with the inclusion of national women's team captain Afeida Khandaker. Afeida scored a goal in her debut for the club, contributing to a 12âÂÂ0 win.
In February 2024, Afeida Khandaker captained the Bangladesh UâÂÂ19 women's team at the 2024 SAFF UâÂÂ19 Women's Championship held in Bangladesh. The team advanced to the final by topping their group unbeaten, including a 4âÂÂ0 win over Bhutan. In the final against India, the match ended 1âÂÂ1 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.
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.
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 2âÂÂ2 draw against host nation Jordan, coming from behind twice in the match.
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 7âÂÂ0, Myanmar 2âÂÂ1, and Turkmenistan 7âÂÂ0, finishing with nine points from three matches. The historic qualification was confirmed after a 2âÂÂ2 draw between Bahrain and Turkmenistan ensured Bangladesh's top position in the group.
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 1989âÂÂ90. 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 âÂÂAdommo Nariâ 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.
Afeida completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 2024.
RTC
Bangladesh U20