Chongqing: Bangladesh U-17 national football team is gearing up to commence their 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a match against Timor-Leste in their opening Group A fixture at the Tongliang Long Stadium in Chongqing, China. The match is scheduled to kick off at 12 pm Bangladesh time tomorrow.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the team’s coach, Golam Robanni Choton, conveyed through a video message that the players are excited about participating in the AFC Cup match. He acknowledged the strength of all participating teams, notably China and Bahrain, but emphasized that their focus remains on their own game. Choton highlighted the team’s strategy of approaching the competition match by match, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Asian Cup.
In response to a query, Choton mentioned that Bangladesh has no prior experience playing against Timor-Leste, but he assured that his team would enter the field with a well-prepared plan to secure a victory. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team has completed their final training session under Choton’s guidance in preparation for the opening match.
Bangladesh is placed in a challenging Group A alongside hosts China, Bahrain, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste. Following the match against Timor-Leste, Bangladesh will face Brunei on November 24, Sri Lanka on November 26, Bahrain on November 28, and conclude their group stage against host China on November 30.
Earlier, the Bangladesh team set their sights on reaching the finals of the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup. The seven group champions will secure spots in the 16-team finals, joining hosts Saudi Arabia and eight other nations already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Over the past nineteen years, Bangladesh’s notable performances include being group runners-up in 2017 and 2022. On both occasions, they narrowly missed qualifying as one of the six best runners-up.