Origins (1933–1972)

Islington Corinthians and Dhaka XI team photo in 1937

During the early 1930s, there were many tournaments being held in East Bengal and it was seen that the Bengalis there were getting a little better at football. So in 1933, Dhaka Sporting Association, also known as the DSA, was formed in a small tin house at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka. In those days, Islington Corinthians from England toured all around the world, and introduced their football to every country they visited. On 22 November 1937, the team visited Dhaka, where they took on the DSA XI. The Bengalis of Dhaka handed Corinthians their first ever loss, when the DSA XI defeated Corinthians 1–0 during their encounter. Most of the players were students of Dhaka University. Thousands of people were overjoyed to see the English lose on the field that day. While leaving, the opposition admitted to their defeat, saying, "I heard a lot about the Bengal tiger! This time I saw it!"^[5]

The first instance of a Bangladesh national football team was the emergence of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team during the 1971 Liberation War. They toured throughout India and helped fund the provisional Bangladesh government, by handing over all the prize money they earned from playing exhibition games during their tour.^[6] After gaining independence from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, a de facto national team called Dhaka XI was active the following year. The team won a highly anticipated friendly against Mohun Bagan on home soil and also finished runners-up at India's Bordoloi Trophy.^[7]

Emergence (1973–1984)

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was founded on 15 July 1972 by Md.Yousuf Ali, the country's former Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs.^[8] BFF became affiliated with AFC in 1973 and FIFA in 1976.^[9] Former Dhaka XI head coach Sheikh Shaheb Ali was put incharge of the first national team and Zakaria Pintoo who lead the Shadhin Bangla Team before liberation, was made its captain.^[10] In July 1973, Malaysia invited Bangladesh to take part in the Merdeka Cup, along with Pintoo the first national team consisted of: Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, Abdul Motaleb, Monwar Hossain Nannu, Dilip Barua, Nazir Ahmed, Firoj Kabir, Farukuzzaman, Abdul Hakim, Sharifuzzaman, Md.Kaikobad, Enayetur Rahman, Kazi Salahuddin, Pratap Shankar Hazra, Sheikh Ashraf Ali, Sunil Krishna and Nowsher.^[11]

On 26 July 1973, the Bangladesh football team played its first official game, a 2–2 draw against Thailand in the Merdeka Cup.^[12] Enayetur Rahman scored the country's first ever international goal and the second goal was scored by fellow striker Kazi Salahuddin. After the stalemate, the game went to penalties, where Bangladesh lost 0–1.^[13] On 13 August 1973, after concluding their journey in Malaysia the team played a friendly in Singapore, and earned their first ever win by defeating the hosts 1–0, thanks to a goal from Nowsher.^[14] In August 1975, Bangladesh were again invited to partake in the Merdeka Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During their underwhelming tournament, the players were informed about the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and decided to abandon the tournament to return home amidst the political unrest. However, fearing a FIFA ban the team was obliged to play their game with South Korea, making a symbolic protest by keeping the Bangladesh flag at half-mast and wearing a black badge, as they lost 0–4.^[15]

Aside from competing in the 1976 King's Cup, Bangladesh remained inactive until 1978, when Werner Bickelhaupt was appointed as the country's first foreign coach. The team experienced internal conflict going into the 1978 Asian games in Bangkok, as the captaincy was stripped off the senior most player Monwar Hossain Nannu of Abahani and handed over to Shahidur Rahman Shantoo from Mohammedan SC, seven players from Abahani including Nannu quit the team in protest.^[16] The much depleted Bangladesh team struggled in the tournament losing to both Malaysia and India. Following this incident, the federation attempted to pick captains outside the two Dhaka giants for the next few years. In March 1979, the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers began on home soil and surprisingly considering that this was their first time taking part in a qualifying tournament, Bangladesh guided by local trainer Anwar Hossain, opened their campaign with draws against Afghanistan and Qatar. The team then went on to claim only their second ever victory by defeating the Afghans 3–2, which was eventually enough for them to qualify for the main event.

The 1980 AFC Asian Cup was held in September in Kuwait, and Bangladesh were grouped with defending champions Iran as well as North Korea, Syria and China. The team now coached by Abdur Rahim, opened the tournament respectably with a narrow 3–2 defeat against North Korea. Their goals came from Kazi Salahuddin and Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu. They also held on well against Syria, losing 0–1.^[17] However, the next couple of games saw Bangladesh being embarrassed 7–0 and 6–0 respectively, by Iran and China, finishing the tournament bottom of their table.^[18] Bangladesh continued their continental exploits, as a goal from Badal Roy against Malaysia at the 1982 Asian Games, gave the team their first ever win in Asia's biggest stage at the time.^[19] Despite all their early success, the team would see a slump in form, failing to qualify for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup and also endured a painful defeat to Nepal in the 1984 South Asian Games final.

Rise and Fall (1985–2002)

Bangladesh team at Pakistan's 1987 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup

In 1985, Bangladesh took part in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, and were grouped along with India, Indonesia and Thailand. The country's first ever win at the qualifiers came against Indonesia. The game was held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium, and the under-pressure home team had overturned a single goal deficit through Kaiser Hamid and Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu. They followed up the Indonesia result by edging past Thailand 1–0 in the next game. Nonetheless, the team finished bottom of the group, behind Thailand on goal difference. In the wake of their first World Cup qualifying campaign, Bangladesh took part in the 1985 South Asian Games as one of the favorites. The team cruised through the group-stages, claiming their biggest ever win in an 8–0 thrashing of Maldives along the way, but luck was not on their side, losing to India on penalties in the final. During the 1990 World Cup qualifiers, the team only registered a single victory, which came in a 3–1 thrashing of Thailand. Despite the solitary victory, Bangladesh fought toe-to-toe with Asian giants Iran and China during both legs.^[20]

Biplob

Nazrul

Jewel

Faysal

Mamun

Iqbal

Motiur

Alfaz

Anwar

Monwar

Dawn

Bangladesh's starting line-up in the 1999 South Asian Games final.^[21]

The 4-nation Tiger Trophy in Myanmar became Bangladesh's first international trophy in 1995.

Iranian legend Nasser Hejazi took charge of Bangladesh at the 1989 South Asian Games, and dropped experienced players (Sheikh Aslam, Wasim Iqbal and Md Mohsin) from the squad. After an error-prone team lost the final to Pakistan, the Mohammedan coach Hejazi was accused of having a bias against selecting players from rival club, Abahani.^[22] In 1995, following a series of managerial changes, Otto Pfister was appointed as coach. On 4 November 1995, with Pfister handing the team's captaincy to Monem Munna, Bangladesh won the 4-nation Tiger Trophy in Myanmar, which was the nation's very first major trophy. The year 1996 saw Bangladesh being ranked 110 by FIFA, however, they failed to add to their success, finishing runner-up at the 1995 South Asian Games and 1999 SAFF Gold Cup.^[23] It was at the 1999 South Asian Games where the Bangladesh team coached by Samir Shaker ended their 19-year wait for a gold medal, defeating hosts Nepal in the final.^[24][25][26]

On 12 January 2001, a historic moment occurred for the Bangladesh team, as they played their first match against a European nation, when they took on Bosnia & Herzegovina during the Sahara Cup and lost 2–0. On 18 March 2001, Firoj Mahmud Titu became the first Bangladeshi player to score against European opposition, as Bangladesh suffered a 4–1 defeat at the hands of FR Yugoslavia during the same competition.^[27] The team proceeded to grow more and more despondent, suffering elimination from the first Round of 2002 World Cup qualifiers with only 1 win from 4 games. On 11 January 2002, FIFA imposed a ban on Bangladesh, due to the government violating the FIFA and AFC law that only recognizes a democratically elected committee to run a country's football federation. Nonetheless, the ban was short lived, after the government reinstated the elected committee of Bangladesh Football Federation, FIFA lifted the ban, on 11 February.^[28]

SAFF Gold Cup triumph (2003)

Aminul

Sujan

Nazrul

Mamun

Firoz

Parvez

Joy

Munna

Arman

Alfaz

Kanchan

2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup final starting line-up.^[29]

After failing to produce satisfactory results in the previous two years, coach György Kottán remained incharge of Bangladesh during the 2003 SAFF Championship which took place in Dhaka, between 10 January 2003 and 20 January 2003.^[30] Hosts Bangladesh started off the tournament by winning their opening game against Nepal (1–0), with Alfaz Ahmed scoring the only goal, 30 minutes into the match. In the following game, the team again won by a solitary goal, thanks to a late strike from Arif Khan Joy against Maldives. Bangladesh topped their group after winning the last game 3–0 against Bhutan, with goals coming from Farhad and Kanchan. In the semifinals they faced India, who were the defending champions after defeating Bangladesh in the final in 1999. Bangladesh avenged their defeat from four years earlier by overcoming India 2–1, owing to a Golden goal by Motiur Munna and thus progressing to their second consecutive SAFF Championship final.^[31] However, before the final the Bangladesh team dealt a huge blow, as their captain Rajani Kanta Barman who played in every game during the tournament until then, picked up a suspension, denying him a chance to play in the next match. In the final Bangladesh again faced Maldives, Hassan Al-Mamun replaced Rajani in defense and took up the captain's armband before the game.^[32] Rokonuzzaman Kanchan gave the hosts the early lead and Bangladesh spent the rest of the first half dominating possession.^[33] During the second half a defensive blunder by Bangladesh lead to Ali Umar scoring the equalizer. The game remained tied at 1–1 after 90 minutes and even after another 30 minutes of extra time the two sides could not be separated. In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Aminul Haque saved the second penalty from Maldives and at last Mohammed Sujan held his nerves and scored the winning penalty, as Bangladesh secured their first SAFF Championship in front of 46,000 supporters present at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.^[34]

Inconsistency (2003–2010)

Bangladesh national football team group photo, featuring players who took part in the 2005 SAFF Gold Cup.

The 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, began from March 2003. It was another devastating qualifying campaign for Bangladesh, a defeat at the hands of Laos and a draw against Hong Kong, concluded their Asian Cup qualification hopes. The team did show signs of improvement by reaching the final of the 2005 Saff Championship, only to be defeated by India in the final again.^[35][36] From December 2005, Bangladesh began their 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign, winning only a single game in the process, before once again failing to reach the main phase of the competition.^[37] The 2008 SAFF Championship also ended in huge disappointment, as Bangladesh were knocked out during the group-stages, even after the BFF launched the country's first professional league, the Bangladesh Premier League, the previous year.^[38][39] Their underwhelming SAFF campaign resulted in the dismissal of coach of Abu Yusuf.^[40] He was replaced by another former national team player, Shafiqul Islam Manik, who only lasted at the job for three months.^[41]

On 24 January 2009, Bangladesh appointed Brazilian coach Dido.^[42] Under his guidance the team saw an upturn in results, winning two of the three 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and advanced into the main tournament.^[43][44] However, he was sacked within 11 months as he refused to select established national team players.^[45] During his last interview before leaving Bangladesh, Dido criticized the country's footballing structure and stated that it was corrupt.^[46] This again raised questions about BFF president Kazi Salahuddin's management of the country's football. The 2009 SAFF Championship saw Bangladesh once again hosting the tournament. Former national team keeper Shahidur Rahman Shantoo was appointed as the interim coach just a few days before the tournament.^[47] His time at the job was also short lived, as the hosts were knocked out in the semi-final by eventual champions India.^[48] The deterioration in results over the following decade and more saw a massive decline in popularity of the country's football among fans, in both domestic and international stage.^[49]

Decline (2011–present)

Bangladeshi team at the 2021 SAFF Championship in Maldives.

On 29 June 2011, after a goalless away leg, Bangladesh beat Pakistan 3–0 on aggregate in Dhaka during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers–first round. The game took place only four days after Nikola Ilievski was appointed as the team's head coach.^[50] This allowed Bangladesh to advance to the second round to face Lebanon. The first game was played in Beirut on 23 July 2011, where the hosts won 4–0. The return game in Dhaka saw Bangladesh being eliminated, even though they managed to salvage a 2–0 victory against the Middle Eastern giants.^[51] However, the dearth of quality players was evident as the nation failed to win a single game during the entirety of the 2011 SAFF Championship.^[52]

In January 2013, Lodewijk de Kruif took charge of the team, and under his leadership, they even failed to advance from the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, a tournament held to assist lower-ranked teams. Bangladesh played their first four games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Australia and Jordan, losing all of the matches apart from their home game against Tajikistan, where they drew 1–1. These results led to De Kruif being sacked in September 2015.^[53] In March 2016, Bangladesh ended their 2018 World Cup Qualifying run with an 8–0 defeat at the hands of a Jordan team managed by Harry Redknapp.^[54]

On 29 June 2016, the BFF appointed Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, initially on a short-term contract, to guide the national team during the AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualification playoff round 2 matches against Bhutan. Saintfiet called up the veteran striking pair of Jahid Hasan Ameli and Enamul Haque for the encounter, but to no avail. Following a 0–0 draw in the first leg in Dhaka, Bhutan inflicted a 3–1 defeat on Bangladesh at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu during the second leg. The results meant Bangladesh would not be a part of any AFC and FIFA tournaments for the following two years, until the launching of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.^[55] By February 2018, Bangladesh had plummeted to 197 in the FIFA World Rankings, marking the country's lowest ranking to date.^[56]

In May 2018, Jamie Day took charge of the team.^[57] Although the team disappointed during the 2018 SAFF Championship, Bangladesh advanced to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers – AFC second round by defeating Laos 1–0 on aggregate.^[58] They were grouped together with neighbors India and Afghanistan, alongside Asian powerhouses Qatar and Oman. The team managed to earn well-deserved draws against India and Afghanistan, and although they suffered some heavy defeats in the following games, Bangladesh reached the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as one of the three best fifth-positioned teams.^[59] In September 2021, after five consecutive defeats, Day was put on a two-month leave just before the 2021 SAFF Championship got underway.^[60][61] However, interim coach Óscar Bruzón was not able to change the country's fate, as Bangladesh yet again underwhelmed at the tournament.^[62]

On 8 January 2022, the BFF appointed Javier Cabrera as the permanent head coach of Bangladesh on an 11-month contract.^[63] Under Cabrera Bangladesh crashed out of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round, failing to secure a single victory.^[64]

Media coverage

Bangladesh's home and away qualifiers and friendlies are broadcast live on Bangladesh Television, Bangla TV & T Sports (Bangladesh).

Kits

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bangladesh national football team kits.

The Bangladesh national football team plays in bottle green shirts and dark red shorts embedded. Also with red and green stripes. Green and red are the historic national colors of Bangladesh, originating from its the national flag. The red represents the sun rising over Bengal, and also the blood of those who died for the country's independence, while the green represents the lushness of its land. The usual Bangladesh away jersey is completely diametric to the regular one, and similar to most national teams Bangladesh uses the country's footballing federation as a logo on the kit.

On 14 July 2008, Bangladesh Football Federation struck a landmark sponsorship deal with Citycell worth US$1.45 million for two years (2008–2010), which was biggest ever trade in the country's football history until then.

In 2010, BFF announced Grameenphone as their new sponsor and kit provider on a three-year contract (2010–2013). After half a decade without a sponsor, India's TVS Motor Company tied up with the Bangladesh national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round, in a deal which lasted for two years (2019–2021). In 2021, as the Bangladesh team was using the same kit for almost 5 years, the federation decided to hold a jersey designing contest for the 2021 SAFF Championship.^[65]

Year	Kit Manufacturer/ Sponsor	Ref
1973–1998	Unknown
1998–2000	Adidas	[66]
2000–2001	Sapphire Sports	[67][68]
2001–2005	None
2005–2007	Adidas
2008	Nokia	[69]
2008–2010	Citycell	[70]
2010–2011	Grand Sport	[71][72]
2011–2013	Grameenphone	[73]
2014–2015	FBT	[74]
2015–2016	Lotto	[75]
2016–2019	None	[76]
2019–2021	TVS	[77]
2021–present	None	[78]

Supporters

Bangladeshi fans at the 2021 SAFF Championship in Maldives.

In the 70s and 80s, football in Bangladesh flourished with a well-renowned Dhaka League, attracting fans nationwide. However, since the 2000s, domestic football's popularity has declined due to success in other sports and the national team's lack of achievements. As a consequence, the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka remains largely unoccupied during both domestic and international fixtures, with average attendance, even falling short of 10,000.^[79]

Outside the capital, both domestic and international football's popularity remains unwavering, with games in Sylhet and Jessore, drawing tons of fans. In September 2014, 50,000 spectators were present during a friendly between Bangladesh U23 and Nepal U23 at the Sylhet District Stadium. It was reported that the fans entered the stadium by breaking the main entrance, due to shortage in tickets. The same year at the Shamsul Huda Stadium in Jessore, which has a capacity of 12,000 was filled with more than 30,000 viewers during a friendly match against Sri Lanka, where the hosts won 1–0.^[80]

Bangladesh Red and Green

The President's Gold Cup which was predominantly held every year from 1981 to 1993, saw the Bangladesh Football Federation enter two teams for Bangladesh; Bangladesh Red and Green (1981–1986; 1993) and Bangladesh White and Blue (1987). This was due to the fact, that during the 80s many players were not able to get into the national team even after performing well in the country's domestic league, the Dhaka League. Alongside the senior national team, the other national team mainly consisted of "second string" or youth international players. Having a two separate teams was very common during the 80s and 90s for developing South Asian countries, both Nepal and Pakistan had second string team's. Most international countries taking part in the President's Gold Cup would not send their main national team, instead the tournament would be used as a platform to play their B teams.^[81]

The 1989 President's Gold Cup saw Bangladesh Red win the tournament.^[82] The hosts, defeated South Korea University football team on penalties to lift the trophy, after knocking out the Green team in the semi-finals. However, this is not considered to be Bangladesh's first international trophy, as the tournament mainly consisted of club teams.^[83] The green team was the youth national team, while the red team was made out of senior international's, and was known to be the main national team. In the 1987 edition, Bangladesh White and Blue took part in the tournament. The white team mainly consisted of players from Mohammedan SC, while the blue team was made of players from their rival club, Abahani Limited Dhaka.^[84]

2023

Bangladesh  v  Malawi

15 March 2023 (2023-03-15) Unofficial Friendly	Bangladesh	1–1	Malawi	Medina, Saudi Arabia
9:30 BST (UTC+6)	Bishwanath 89'	Report	Msowoya 75'	Stadium: Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium Referee: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia)

Bangladesh  v  Seychelles

25 March 2023 (2023-03-25) Friendly	Bangladesh	1–0	Seychelles	Sylhet, Bangladesh
15:45 BST (UTC+6)	Tariq 42'	Report		Stadium: Sylhet District Stadium Attendance: 1,679 Referee: Virendha Rai (Bhutan)

Bangladesh  v  Seychelles

28 March 2023 Friendly	Bangladesh	0–1	Seychelles	Sylhet Bangladesh
15:45 BST (UTC+6)		Report	Mancienne 61' (pen.)	Stadium: Sylhet District Stadium Attendance: 1,040 Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)

Tiffy Army v  Bangladesh

12 June 2023 Unofficial Friendly	Tiffy Army	0–1	Bangladesh	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
16:00 BST (UTC+6)		Report	Sohel 12'	Stadium: TIFFY Army Stadium

Cambodia  v  Bangladesh

15 June 2023 Friendly	Cambodia	0–1	Bangladesh	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
		Report	Mojibur 24'	Stadium: National Olympic Stadium Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Wiwat Jumpaoon (Thailand)

Lebanon  v  Bangladesh

22 June 2023 2023 SAFF Championship Group B	Lebanon	2–0	Bangladesh	Bengaluru, India
16:00 BST (UTC+6)	Maatouk 80' Bader 90+6'	Report		Stadium: Sree Kanteerava Stadium Attendance: 50 Referee: Crystal John (India)

Bangladesh  v  Maldives

25 June 2023 2023 SAFF Championship Group B	Bangladesh	3–1	Maldives	Bengaluru, India
16:00 BST (UTC+6)	Rakib 42' Tariq 67' Morsalin 90'	Report	Hamza 17'	Stadium: Sree Kanteerava Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Bhutan  v  Bangladesh

28 June 2023 2023 SAFF Championship Group B	Bhutan	1–3	Bangladesh	Bengaluru, India
20:00 BST (UTC+6)	Dorji 12'	Report	Morsalin 21' Jigme 30' (o.g.) Rakib 36'	Stadium: Sree Kanteerava Stadium Referee: Crystal John (India)

Kuwait  v  Bangladesh

1 July 2023 (2023-07-01) 2023 SAFF Championship Semi-finals	Kuwait	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Bangladesh	Bengaluru, India
15:00 UTC+5:30	Al-Buloushi 105+2'	Report		Stadium: Sree Kanteerava Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Crystal John (India)

Bangladesh  v  Afghanistan

3 September 2023 (2023-09-03) Friendly	Bangladesh	0–0	Afghanistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
5:00		Report		Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Prakash Nath Shrestha (Nepal)

Bangladesh  v  Afghanistan

7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) Friendly	Bangladesh	1–1	Afghanistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
17:00 BST (UTC+6)	Morsalin 62'	Report	Sharza 52'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Maldives  v  Bangladesh

12 October 2023 (2023-10-12) 2026 WCQ R1 / 2027 ACQ	Maldives	1–1	Bangladesh	Malé, Maldives
17:00 BST (UTC+6)	Nazeem 87'	Report	Saad 90+2'	Stadium: National Football Stadium Attendance: 2,555 Referee: Seyed Vahid Kazemi (Iran)

Bangladesh  v  Maldives

17 October 2023 (2023-10-17) 2026 WCQ R1 / 2027 ACQ	Bangladesh	2–1 (3–2 agg.)	Maldives	Dhaka, Bangladesh
17:45 BST (UTC+6)	Rakib 11' Fahim 46'	Report	Aisam 36'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Attendance: 6,729 Referee: Ammar Ebrahim Hasan Mahfoodh (Bahrain)

Australia  v  Bangladesh

16 November 2023 (2023-11-16) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Australia	7–0	Bangladesh	Melbourne, Australia
15:00 BST (UTC+6)	Souttar 4' Borrello 20' Duke 37', 40' Maclaren 48', 70', 84'	Report		Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 20,876 Referee: Ahrol Risqullaev (Uzbekistan)

Bangladesh  v  Lebanon

21 November 2023 (2023-11-21) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Bangladesh	1–1	Lebanon	Dhaka, Bangladesh
17:45 BST (UTC+6)	Morsalin 72'	Report	Osman 67'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Attendance: 6,297 Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

2024

Bangladesh  v  Palestine

21 March 2024 (2024-03-21) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Bangladesh	v	Palestine	Dhaka, Bangladesh
: BST (UTC+6)		Report

Palestine  v  Bangladesh

26 March 2024 (2024-03-26) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Palestine	v	Bangladesh	TBD[lower-alpha 1]
: BST (UTC+6)		Report

Bangladesh  v  Australia

6 June 2024 (2024-06-06) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Bangladesh	v	Australia	Dhaka, Bangladesh
: BST (UTC+6)		Report

Lebanon  v  Bangladesh

11 June 2024 (2024-06-11) 2026 WCQ R2 / 2027 ACQ	Lebanon	v	Bangladesh	Beirut, Lebanon
: BST (UTC+6)		Report

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2026 WCQ R2 against  Lebanon on 21 November 2023.^[88]

Caps and goals are correct as of 21 November 2023 after the game against  Lebanon.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Pappu Hossain	(1999-04-07) 7 April 1999	0	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka
13	1GK	Mitul Marma	(2003-12-11) 11 December 2003	4	0	Sheikh Russel KC
23	1GK	Mehedi Hasan Srabon	(2005-08-12) 12 August 2005	1	0	Bashundhara Kings
2	2DF	Shakil Hossain	(2002-07-06) 6 July 2002	4	0	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi
3	2DF	Rahmat Mia	(1999-12-08) 8 December 1999	32	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka
4	2DF	Hasan Murad Tipu	(1998-01-02) 2 January 1998	2	0	Mohammedan SC
12	2DF	Bishwanath Ghosh	(1999-05-30) 30 May 1999	39	0	Bashundhara Kings
14	2DF	Tariq Kazi	(2000-10-06) 6 October 2000	25	2	Bashundhara Kings
18	2DF	Isa Faysal	(1999-08-20) 20 August 1999	8	0	Bangladesh Police
22	2DF	Alomgir Molla	(2000-11-06) 6 November 2000	3	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka
5	3MF	Mohammad Ridoy	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002	14	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka
6	3MF	Jamal Bhuyan (Captain)	(1990-04-10) 10 April 1990	81	1	Club Sol de Mayo
7	3MF	Shekh Morsalin	(2005-11-25) 25 November 2005	9	4	Bashundhara Kings
8	3MF	Rabiul Hasan	(1999-06-26) 26 June 1999	22	3	Abahani Limited Dhaka
16	3MF	Mohamed Sohel Rana	(1996-06-01) 1 June 1996	13	0	Bashundhara Kings
17	3MF	Sohel Rana	(1995-03-27) 27 March 1995	64	0	Bashundhara Kings
20	3MF	Mojibur Rahman Jony	(2005-01-01) 1 January 2005	13	1	Bashundhara Kings
21	3MF	Jayed Ahmed	(2002-12-14) 14 December 2002	1	0	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi
9	4FW	Sumon Reza	(1995-06-15) 15 June 1995	26	1	Sheikh Russel KC
10	4FW	Dipok Roy	(2002-08-12) 12 August 2002	0	0	Sheikh Russel KC
11	4FW	Foysal Ahmed Fahim	(2002-02-24) 24 February 2002	17	1	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi
15	4FW	Md Rafiqul Islam	(2004-02-12) 12 February 2004	5	0	Bashundhara Kings
19	4FW	Mohammad Ibrahim	(1997-08-07) 7 August 1997	40	4	Bashundhara Kings

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Bangladesh squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mahfuz Hasan Pritom	(1999-11-05) 5 November 1999	0	0	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi	NT camp, November 2023
GK	Anisur Rahman Zico	(1997-08-10) 10 August 1997	31	0	Bashundhara Kings	v.  Afghanistan, 7 September 2023SUS
GK	Shahidul Alam Sohel	(1992-05-01) 1 May 1992	26	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka	NT camp, August 2023
DF	Md Saad Uddin	(1998-09-01) 1 September 1998	30	2	Bashundhara Kings	2026 WCQ R2SUS
DF	Riyadul Hasan Rafi	(1999-12-29) 29 December 1999	18	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka	NT camp, November 2023
DF	Topu Barman	(1994-12-20) 20 December 1994	53	6	Bashundhara Kings	v.  Afghanistan, 7 September 2023SUS
DF	Rimon Hossain	(2005-07-01) 1 July 2005	13	0	Bashundhara Kings	v.  Afghanistan, 7 September 2023
DF	Tutul Hossain Badsha	(1999-08-12) 12 August 1999	25	0	Bashundhara Kings	NT camp, June 2023
DF	Mohamed Atikuzzaman	(1999-10-10) 10 October 1999	0	0	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi	NT camp, August 2023INJ
DF	Mehedi Hasan Mithu	(1994-10-24) 24 October 1994	4	0	Mohammedan SC	NT camp, August 2023
DF	Mohammed Jahid Hasan	(2002-06-01) 1 June 2002	0	0	Bashundhara Kings	NT camp, August 2023
DF	Tanvir Hossain	(2003-12-13) 13 December 2003	0	0	Sheikh Russel KC	NT camp, August 2023
MF	Chandon Roy	(2007-05-04) 4 May 2007	0	0	Sheikh Russel KC	NT camp, November 2023
MF	Masuk Mia Jony	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998	17	0	Bashundhara Kings	NT camp, June 2023
MF	Hemanta Vincent Biswas	(1995-12-13) 13 December 1995	21	2	Chittagong Abahani	v.  Seychelles, 28 March 2023
MF	Papon Singh	(1999-12-31) 31 December 1999	2	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka	NT camp, August 2023
MF	Abu Shaeid	(1999-08-06) 6 August 1999	0	0	Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi	NT camp, August 2023
FW	Rakib Hossain	(1998-11-18) 18 November 1998	35	4	Bashundhara Kings	2026 WCQ R2SUS
FW	Arman Foysal Akash	(2004-01-13) 13 January 2004	0	0	Fortis FC	NT camp, November 2023
FW	Rahim Uddin	(1999-06-03) 3 June 1999	0	0	Abahani Limited Dhaka	NT camp, November 2023
FW	Motin Mia	(1998-12-20) 20 December 1998	20	2	Bashundhara Kings	2026 WCQ R1
FW	Aminur Rahman Sajib	(1994-06-17) 17 June 1994	3	0	Bashundhara Kings	NT camp, September 2023
FW	Sazzad Hossain	(1995-01-18) 18 January 1995	6	1	Mohammedan SC	NT camp, September 2023
FW	Shahriar Emon	(2001-03-07) 7 March 2001	0	0	Mohammedan SC	NT camp, June 2023
FW	Eleta Kingsley	(1989-10-29) 29 October 1989	2	0	Free Agent	NT camp, June 2023
FW	Sarower Zaman Nipu	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000	0	0	Sheikh Russel KC	NT camp, August 2023INJ
FW	Jafar Iqbal	(1999-09-27) 27 September 1999	9	1	Mohammedan SC	NT camp, August 2023
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby COV Withdrew due to COVID-19 RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Most appearances

Jamal Bhuyan is Bangladesh's most capped player with 81 appearances.

NB The list is inaccurate as Alfaz Ahmed & Hassan Al-Mamun each, reportedly have over 65 caps - however exact figures are not yet known by the Bangladesh Football Federation. Also caps for long serving players such as Ashish Bhadra, Monem Munna, Badal Roy & Khurshid Alam Babul, along with many others - are still unknown by the Federation and is still being researched.^[90][91]

Top goalscorers

Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Chunnu is Bangladesh's top goalscorer with 17 goals.

NB The list is inaccurate as Rokonuzzaman Kanchan & Mamun Joarder both, reportedly have over 6 goals - however exact figures are not yet known by the Bangladesh Football Federation and is still being updated.^[92]

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup finals										Qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1970	Did not enter; was part of British India until 1947 and then Pakistan between 1947 and 1971								Did not enter; was part of British India until 1947 and then Pakistan between 1947 and 1971
1974	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1978 to 1982	Did not enter								Did not enter
1986	Did not qualify								6	2	0	4	5	10
1990									6	1	0	5	4	9
1994									8	2	0	6	7	28
1998									6	1	0	5	4	14
2002									6	1	2	3	5	15
2006									2	0	0	2	0	4
2010									2	0	1	1	1	6
2014									4	2	1	1	5	4
2018									8	0	1	7	2	32
2022									10	1	3	6	4	19
2026	To be determined								4	1	2	1	4	10
2030									To be determined
2034
Total	—	0/25	—	—	—	—	—	—	62	11	10	41	41	141

AFC Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup											Qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1968	Part of  Pakistan										Part of  Pakistan
1972	Not an AFC member										Not an AFC member
1976	Withdrew										Withdrew
1980	Group Stage	10th	4	0	0	4	2	17	Squad		4	1	2	1	7	8
1984	Did not qualify										5	1	0	4	6	13
1988											5	0	3	2	1	9
1992											2	0	0	2	0	7
1996	Withdrew										Withdrew
2000	Did not qualify										4	1	1	2	5	12
2004											2	0	1	1	3	4
2007											8	1	1	6	2	19
2011											AFC Challenge Cup
2015
2019											12	0	2	10	3	41
2023											13	1	3	9	6	27
2027	To be determined										To be determined
Total	Group stage	1/19	4	0	0	4	2	17	—	55	5	13	37	33	140

AFC Asian Cup History
Season	Round	Opponent	Scores	Result	Venue
1980	Group stage	North Korea	2–3	Loss	Sabah Al Salem Stadium, Kuwait
		Syria	0–1	Loss
		Iran	0–7	Loss
		China	0–6	Loss

SAFF Championship

[[SAFF Championship|SAFF Championship]]
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1993	did not enter
1995	Semi-finals	3rd	3	1	1	1	2	1	Squad
1997	Group stage	5th	2	0	1	1	1	4	N/A
1999	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	6	3	Squad
2003	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	8	2	Squad
2005	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	7	3	Squad
2008	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	3	4	Squad
2009	Semi-finals	3rd	4	2	1	1	6	3	Squad
2011	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad
2013	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	5	Squad
2015	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad
2018	Group stage	5th	3	2	0	1	3	2	Squad
2021	Group stage	4th	4	1	2	1	3	4	Squad
2023	Semi-finals	3rd	4	2	0	2	6	5	Squad
Total	1 Title	13/14	46	18	14	16	52	47	—

SAFF Championship History
Season	Round	Opponent	Scores	Result	Venue
1995	Group stage	Pakistan	0–1	Loss	Sugathadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka
		Nepal	2–0	Won
	Semi-finals	India	0–0 (a.e.t)	Draw
1997	Group stage	Maldives	1–1	Draw	Dasharath Rangasala, Nepal
		India	0–3	Loss
1999	Group stage	India	0–0	Draw	Fatorda Stadium, India
		Pakistan	3–0	Won
	Semi-finals	Nepal	2–1	Won
	Final	India	0–2	Loss
2003	Group stage	Nepal	1–0	Won	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Bangladesh
		Maldives	1–0	Won
	Bhutan	3–0	Won
	Semi-finals	India	2–1 (a.e.t)	Won
Final	Maldives	1–1 (pens. 5–3)	Draw
2005	Group stage	Bhutan	3–0	Won	Jinnah Sports Stadium, Pakistan
		Nepal	2–0	Won
		India	1–1	Draw
	Semi-finals	Pakistan	1–0	Won
	Final	India	0–2	Loss
2008	Group stage	Bhutan	1–1	Draw	Sugathadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka
		Afghanistan	2–2	Draw
		Sri Lanka	0–1	Loss
2009	Group stage	Bhutan	4–1	Won	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Bangladesh
		Pakistan	0–0	Draw
	Sri Lanka	2–1	Won
Semi-finals	India U23	0–2	Loss
2011	Group stage	Pakistan	0–0	Draw	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, India
		Nepal	0–1	Loss
		Maldives	1–3	Loss
2013	Group stage	Nepal	0–2	Loss	Dasharath Rangasala, Nepal
		India	1–1	Draw
		Pakistan	1–2	Loss
2015	Group stage	Afghanistan	0–4	Loss	Trivandrum International Stadium, India
		Maldives	1–3	Loss
		Bhutan	3–0	Won
2018	Group stage	Bhutan	2–0	Won	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Bangladesh
		Pakistan	1–0	Won
		Nepal	0–2	Loss
2021	Group stage	Sri Lanka	1–0	Won	National Football Stadium, Maldives
		India	1–1	Draw
		Maldives	0–2	Loss
		Nepal	1–1	Draw
2023	Group stage	Lebanon	2–0	Loss	Sree Kanteerava Stadium, India
		Maldives	3–1	Won
	Bhutan	3–1	Won
Semi-finals	Kuwait	0–1	Loss

South Asian Games

[[Football at the South Asian Games|South Asian Games]]
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1984	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	14	4	N/A
1985	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	11	2	N/A
1987	Fourth place	4th	2	1	0	2	3	2	N/A
1989	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	1	1	4	2	N/A
1991	Third place	3rd	3	2	1	0	4	2	N/A
1993	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	0	1	N/A
1995	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	2	1	N/A
1999	Champions	1st	4	3	0	1	4	1	N/A
2004 – present	See Bangladesh national U-23 team
Total	1 Title	8/8	25	14	4	8	42	15	—

South Asian Games History
Season	Round	Opponent	Scores	Result	Venue
1984	Group stage	Bhutan	2–0	Won	Dasharath Rangasala, Nepal
		Maldives	5–0	Won
		Nepal	5–0	Won
	Gold medal match	Nepal	2–4	Loss
1985	Group stage	Pakistan	2–1	Won	Unknown, Bangladesh
		Maldives	8–0	Won
	Gold medal match	India	1–1 (pens. 3–4)	Loss
1987	Group stage	Nepal	0–1	Loss	Salt Lake Stadium, India
		Bhutan	3–0	Won
	Bronze medal match	Pakistan	0–1	Loss
1989	Group stage	Sri Lanka	3–0	Won	Jinnah Sports Stadium, Pakistan
		India	1–1	Draw
	Gold medal match	Pakistan	0–1	Loss
1991	Group stage	Pakistan	0–1	Loss	Sugathadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka
		India	2–1	Won
	Bronze medal match	Nepal	2–0	Won
1993	Group stage	Maldives	0–0	Draw	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Bangladesh
		Nepal	0–1	Loss
1995	Group stage	Maldives	0–0	Draw	Unknown, India
		Nepal	2–1	Won
	Gold medal match	India	0–1	Loss
1999	Group stage	Maldives	1–2	Loss	Dasharath Rangasala, Nepal
		Sri Lanka	1–0	Won
		India	1–0	Won
	Gold medal match	Nepal	1–0	Won

AFC Challenge Cup

[[AFC Challenge Cup|AFC Challenge Cup]]									Qualification
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Quarter final	4	2	1	1	7	8	Squad	Qualified as host
2008	did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	2
2010	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	6	Squad	3	2	0	1	5	2
2012	did not qualify								3	1	0	2	2	5
2014									3	2	0	1	6	1
Total	Quarter final	7	3	1	3	10	14	—	11	5	1	5	14	10

AFC Challenge Cup History
Season	Round	Opponent	Scores	Result	Venue
2006	Group Stage	Cambodia	2–1	Won	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Bangladesh
		Guam	3–0	Won
		Palestine	1–1	Draw
	Quarter-finals	Tajikistan	1–6	Loss
2010	Group Stage	Tajikistan	2–1	Won	Sugathadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka
		Myanmar	1–2	Loss
		Sri Lanka	0–3	Loss

Asian Games

Asian Games
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951 New Delhi	did not enter; was part of Pakistan and Pakistan national team until 1971
1954 Manila
1958 Tokyo
1962 Jakarta
1966 Bangkok
1970 Bangkok
1974 Tehran	did not participate
1978 Bangkok	Group Stage	12/14	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad
1982 New Delhi	Group Stage	11/16	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad
1986 Seoul	Group Stage	16/18	4	1	0	3	1	12	Squad
1990 Beijing	Group Stage	11/14	2	0	0	2	0	7	Squad
1994 Hiroshima	did not participate
1998 Bangkok	Withdrew
2002 – present	See Bangladesh U23 national team
Total	4/13	—	11	2	0	9	3	27	—

Asian Games History
Season	Round	Opponent	Scores	Result	Venue
1978	Group stage	Malaysia	0–1	Loss	Bangkok, Thailand
		India	0–3	Loss
1982	Group stage	India	0–2	Loss	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, India
		China	0–1	Loss
		Malaysia	2–1	Won
1986	Group stage	Kuwait	0–4	Loss	Daejeon Stadium, South Korea
		Iran	0–4	Loss
		Nepal	1–0	Won
		Japan	0–4	Loss
1990	Group stage	Saudi Arabia	0–4	Loss	Xiannongtan Stadium, China
		Japan	0–3	Loss