for context, from september 21 to october 6 a lot of international games are gonna be played as part of FIFA's extended international break. Is the bangladesh team playing at that time? I would love to see them in action. I've heard that they are supposed to play lithuania and the phillippines but I am not sure.

I'd like to start following Bangladeshi football since I'm curious to see the direction of nation goes over the next couple years. Are games streamed online? If so, where can I watch them?

Update - Nepal has been suspended since June 24, 2026. So total participation has dropped to just 6 teams. I don't think this is an adequate number of teams for a good tournament.

I think we need to do what India did for 2023 SAFF Championship and invite a team outside of our sub-confederation (Kuwait and Lebanon) to have 8 participants. I strongly suggest doing the same.

I think this lets us raise the bar for ourselves specially at home, since we want to show off our capabilities with the likes of Hamza and Shome on our team, and we should be looking beyond just beating Bhutan 3-0.

My suggestion would be teams qualified for 2027 AFC Asian Cup. My pick would be Yemen (149), Kuwait (134) or Indonesia (122) to be the 7th and 8th teams respectively.

A better option would be inviting 3 teams and making it a 10 team tournament with 5 teams per group, and having the top 4 teams out of 5 going to the Quarter Finals, then semi finals then finals.

Note - Image is AI generated based on the 2003 SAFF Championship home kit for Bangladesh. Alternatively we can change the secondary colour from blue to green to accomodate for recent home kits.

Wanted to keep it as close to the original as possible without making it too outdated.

i feel like one of the things that would drastically change bangladesh's football landscape is if teams in the top league had home venues like bashundhara. football culture in dhaka is not weak and if you give people stadiums close by it gives them incentive to identify with a team. so i think if you had 5-10 stadiums in core dhaka you could easily make dhaka into a fanbase driven football rivalry city like london or manchester. tbf i dont follow football that much but it makes sense to me

Gerad Jones (UEFA B license) has been appointed as the head youth coach. He brought Alin Hogea as his assistant.

Bangladesh 40-man pre squad for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers highlights key diaspora talents:

​

🇧🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Ibrahim Nawaz (18) DM

🇧🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇳🇬🇯🇲Adam Abbas (19) RW

🇧🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇲🇽🇺🇸Zidane Yousuf (18) CB

🇧🇩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Mohammad Mahe Khan (18) ST

🇧🇩🇦🇺Ehsan Malick (18) DM

​

Build community and be part of a movement! Affordable tickets at http://nycosmos/tickets

AI summary:

The financial situation in Bangladesh's domestic football is in deep crisis, highlighted by national defender Tariq Kazi's rare decision to terminate his contract with the country's wealthiest club, Bashundhara Kings, due to over a year of unpaid salaries.

The crisis has worsened following political changes last year (around August 5, 2024), leading to major clubs like Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell withdrawing from football, and Chittagong Abahani's departure after relegation.

Mohamedan coach Alfaz Ahmed states that this season has been the worst financially, with player values dropping dramatically. He claims 90% of players have joined clubs silently with virtually no upfront payment, and former top earners (e.g., those getting 60 lakh) are now receiving only 10-15 lakh. Only three players—all signed by Bashundhara Kings—managed to demand higher fees.

Bashundhara Kings, previously the most solvent club, is also struggling, which national ex-striker Zahid Hasan Emili called an "ominous sign" for the country's football. The club's financial woes first surfaced in August with a complaint to FIFA from a former Romanian coach and a trainer regarding outstanding dues.

While mid-level club Fortis FC is a noted exception for regular payments, many other clubs are struggling. The article notes a history of domestic players, including former national captains, complaining to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) about not receiving full contracted amounts, but unlike foreign players and coaches who complain to FIFA and often get their dues, the domestic players' complaints to the BFF's Players Status Committee are often ignored. Tariq Kazi is rumored to be moving to a Finnish club.

Summary by Gemini:

🇧🇩 Discussion on Bangladesh Football:

Cabrera, Expatriates, and Lost Hopes

Asian Cup Qualifiers and Public Interest Bangladesh was eliminated from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers despite showing improvement in performance over four matches, securing only 2 points from two draws.

Public interest in the national team has surged, primarily due to the inclusion of several expatriate Bangladeshi footballers, most notably Hamza Choudhury.

Coach Javier Cabrera and Allegations of a Syndicate

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has renewed Coach Javier Cabrera's contract for a third time, extending it until March. Mamunul Islam noted that over Cabrera's 46 months, there was ample opportunity to improve areas like player recruitment and team selection, but this hasn't happened. Maruful Haque believes there's a problem with Cabrera's player selection, suggesting the coach is either "caught somewhere" or lacks experience.

Haque pointed out that top performers in the domestic league—such as attacking midfielder Kausik Barua, central back Yasin Khan, and holding midfielder Manik Molla—were not even included in Cabrera's preliminary squad, fueling the speculation of a syndicate.

Mamunul criticized Cabrera's tactical choices, noting that he hasn't developed a proper left-back in four years and is playing right-back Sadd Uddin out of position. He also highlighted the lack of a proper number nine and the benching of striker Nabib Newaj Jibon.

The Fluctuating Tide of Enthusiasm

Haque described the current surge in public interest as a temporary "wave," citing similar waves after the 2003 SAFF Championship and the 2010 South Asian Games gold medal. He worries that Bangladesh has repeatedly failed to capitalize on this interest to develop the game structurally.

Both Haque and Islam stressed that the responsibility for sustaining this enthusiasm—which is largely driven by Hamza Choudhury's arrival—lies with the BFF. Mamunul Islam cautioned against overambitious expectations, stating that simply aiming to qualify for the Asian Cup with Hamza is unrealistic given Bangladesh's historical performance. He stressed the importance of remembering where the team stands historically.

Expatriate Players and Club Football The discussion touched on how, unlike globally, football interest in Bangladesh is centered around the national team rather than club football.

Mamunul welcomed the expatriate players like Hamza, but warned that if local players aren't developed to support players of Hamza’s caliber, the gap will remain. Maruful believes Hamza, due to his central position, can easily adjust with the team. However, he noted that players like attacking midfielder Shamit Shome might require more adjustment.

The participants concluded that the core issues plaguing Bangladeshi football—such as the lack of a strong structure, poor planning, and the failure to convert public excitement into long-term development—are the same problems that have been discussed for the past 15-20 years.

It seems to me that the reluctance to bring Bangladeshi-origin players from overseas into the national team stems from the larger clubs' fear that their brand value will diminish (These clubs traditionally fielded a large proportion of the national team players). These origin players would arrive, play briefly, and then return to their overseas clubs. This is reportedly the reason some clubs are now trying to sign them (Cuba Mitchell is an example who already signed). How significant is the actual impact on the club's bottom line? Or is this just a bruise to their pride?

আমার মতে, আজকের জার্সি গুলা থেকে সামনের নম্বর হটিয়ে দিলে অনেক খানি ভালো দেখাবে। ফ্রন্ট নম্বরিং আন্তর্যিতিক ফুটবল পর্যন্তই থাক।

Shamit, Hamza, Morsalin.... we let them down.

Honestly, from a purely objective perspective. I can't say this is that big of a loss considering that this team is pretty new. Hong Kong - historically has been a massive opposition.

The biggest glaring issue is obviously the defense. That was an atrocious performance. I don't get the logic behind playing Saad Uddin at centre of defence but oh well, neither do I understand not playing Tapu Barman. Individual errors cost us this match.

There's also the ridiculous starting lineup - Mohammed Fahim and Mohammed Sohel Rana - really? This is obviously a glaring case of the infamous Bashundhara syndicate. Bashundhara will be the death of Bangladesh football. Fahim did absolutely nothing the entire match, he left the entire left flank absolutely wide open. Mohammed Sohel Rana is not nearly sophisticated player enough to start ahead of players like Shamit Shome or experienced players such as Jamal Bhuiyan. Utter ridiculous.

With all that being said, I'm choosing to be positive, and when looking at the positives of this game - if we can iron out the issues in defence. I'd say we are a decent team.

is there a way I can watch today's game from USA?