Category: FOOTBALL

Bangladesh women’s football team faced Turkmenistan in a formality match. Having already secured a spot in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the match held little importance for Bangladesh. However, the team showcased its dominance right from the start. The match kicked off at 6:30 PM Bangladesh time, and despite the lack of stakes, Bangladesh played brilliant football from the beginning. Within just 13 minutes, the team led by Afida Khandakar had already netted three goals.

British coach Peter Butler kept the starting XI unchanged from the previous match against Myanmar. Bangladesh took the lead in just the 3rd minute through a goal by Swapna. Shamshunnahar scored in the 6th minute and added her second goal in the 13th minute.

Monika scored in the 16th minute, followed by a goal from Rituparna in the 17th. This forced Turkmenistan’s coach to make a goalkeeper change by the 19th minute. Tahura’s goal in the 20th minute made it 6–0.

On paper, Bangladesh was the favorite in this match. In recent times, they’ve defeated higher-ranked teams like Jordan, Bahrain, Indonesia, and Myanmar — raising expectations of a big win against Turkmenistan among Bangladeshi football fans.

Bangladesh Starting XI: Rupna Chakma (Goalkeeper), Afida Khandakar (Captain), Shiuli Azim, Shamshunnahar, Kohati Kisku, Maria Manda, Monika Chakma, Swapna Rani, Rituparna Chakma, Shamshunnahar, and Tahura Khatun.

A wave of revival has swept through Bangladeshi football. While the country’s sports arena still carries the festive air of the Eid holidays, several advisors from the interim government took part in a friendly football match at the National Stadium during this break. Their opponents were officials from various foreign embassies based in Bangladesh. In the end, Team Advisors defeated Team Diplomats 1–0.

Playing for Team Advisors were Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul. The team also included the president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Tabith Awal. Representing the foreign diplomats were Spanish Ambassador Gabriel Sistiaga, along with officials from the embassies of England, the United States, Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

The match, played in two 20-minute halves, saw Team Advisors take the lead in the 22nd minute, which turned out to be the only goal of the match — and the decider.

Explaining the background of the match, Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said, “Many ambassadors were present during the Singapore match. That’s when the idea of such a game came up. Later, Asif Sir (Legal Advisor) took the initiative, which led to this friendly match being organized.”

Commenting on the recent resurgence of football in the country, Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul said, “I’m a big admirer of Salahuddin Bhai. What he couldn’t achieve in 8–10 years, our Asif (Sports Advisor) and Tabith (BFF President) have made happen. I watched the match on June 10 — Bangladesh played really well. They performed both off the ball and in possession. Nothing seemed aimless.”

“Football is our lifeline. To establish the dominance of other nations, cricket was prioritized while football was nearly killed. Personally, I’m a passionate football lover. Football is at the heart of Bangladesh.

A wave of revival has swept through Bangladeshi football. The arrival of several expatriate players has added momentum to the national team. Now, India wants to replicate this “formula” used by Bangladesh.

Traditionally, the Indian national football team has not included expatriate players. However, due to the team’s recent poor performances, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is looking to change that policy. According to Indian media reports, an AIFF official has stated that a formal request has been made to the central government to allow expatriate Indians to play for the national team. The government is currently reviewing the proposal seriously.

Indian football is currently going through a tough period. In the Asian Cup qualifiers, the team remains winless after two matches — a goalless draw against Bangladesh in the first match and a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong in the second. Following this disappointing run, Indian football fans on social media have been demanding that expatriate players be given a chance to represent the national team, just like Bangladesh.

Taking note of the public sentiment, the AIFF has begun discussions with the government regarding the inclusion of expatriates. In an effort to improve Indian football, they are now attempting to adopt the approach taken by Bangladesh.

Australia’s national football team, the ‘Socceroos’, has qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Australia secured direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup from the Asian qualifiers. On Tuesday night (June 10), the team booked their place in the World Cup for the sixth time by defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1. With this win, the list of six Asian teams qualifying for the upcoming World Cup—scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada—is now complete. While five teams had already secured their spots, the final place was contested between Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Saudi Arabia faced a tough challenge—they needed to defeat Australia by at least a five-goal margin to qualify. However, the match at the Al Inma Bank Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, saw Australia proving their superiority and walking away with a victory.

The match actually started well for Saudi Arabia. In the 19th minute, the hosts took the lead through a goal from Abdulrahman Al-Obud. But just before halftime, Australia equalized with a goal from Connor Metcalfe. Early in the second half, Mitchell Duke scored with a header from a brilliant cross by Martin Boyle, putting Australia in front.

In the 84th minute, Saudi Arabia had a golden opportunity to level the match when they were awarded a penalty. However, Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan made a stunning save to deny the goal and preserve his team’s lead.

Under coach Tony Popovic, Australia went undefeated throughout the qualifiers. Former player Luke Wilkshire praised the win as a “professional performance” and described coach Popovic’s contribution as “remarkable.”

This achievement is seen as a significant milestone in Australia’s football history. By continuing their streak of World Cup appearances since 2006, the Socceroos have once again demonstrated the steady progress of their footballing capabilities.

The passionate excitement of the fans ended in bitter disappointment. In the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, host nation Bangladesh lost 2-1 to Singapore. The enthusiasm and high hopes with which supporters had flocked to the national stadium turned into a moment of sorrow. Adding salt to the wound was the frustration of not being awarded a clear penalty in the dying moments of the match.

In the third minute of added time, Bangladesh’s Faisal Ahmed Fahim made an impressive run down the left flank and entered the penalty box. To stop him, Singapore’s Irfan Najeeb made a sliding tackle from behind. However, despite the tackle, he failed to get the ball. Instead, it was clear that his leg brought down Fahim. Yet, Filipino referee Clifford Daypuyat did not blow the whistle for a penalty. Since the ball had gone out of play, he awarded Bangladesh a corner instead. Television replays clearly showed that the decision was wrong. As a result, Bangladesh missed a golden opportunity to equalize.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was not pleased with such reckless officiating in a crucial AFC Asian Cup match. The board is preparing to file a written complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). BFF has already lodged a verbal complaint with the match commissioner. This was confirmed by Bangladesh team manager Amer Khan.

He said, “We’ve informed the match commissioner of our complaint. He responded and said he would include the matter in his report. It’s not just the penalty—we’ve complained about a few other issues as well. There were concerns with the fourth official. During our substitutions, the referees caused problems. Everything has been communicated to the match commissioner.”

He added, “We are now preparing to file an official complaint with the AFC. There are several rules and procedures involved. There is a timeline and a payment requirement. Taking everything into account, the board will make a decision about submitting the complaint.”

The Singapore national football team has arrived in Dhaka to face Bangladesh in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers. The visitors landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday night (June 7). After resting upon arrival, the Singapore team will begin their training on Sunday (June 8). They will practice from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM at the Uttara Armed Police ground. However, this training session will be held behind closed doors, with no access for spectators or media.

On Monday, from 5:45 PM, Singapore will have another one-hour training session at the match venue — Bangabandhu National Stadium. The crucial match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 PM on Tuesday evening.

Excitement has already begun to build among football fans surrounding the Bangladesh-Singapore match. Particularly, the anticipation has grown with the expectation that England-raised midfielder Hamza Choudhury and Canada-based young talent Shamit Som might play together on the field.

In the current FIFA rankings, Singapore is positioned 161st. They arrive in Bangladesh with renewed confidence after a 3-0 victory over the Maldives in a recent warm-up match, which ended their six-match winless streak.

Both teams are expected to aim for a positive result in Tuesday’s encounter. Host nation Bangladesh will look to capitalize on home advantage to secure a win, while Singapore will aim to maintain their newfound winning momentum.

When it comes to Bangladeshi football nowadays, the name that comes to mind first is Hamza Choudhury. He has been a major reason behind the recent surge of excitement in the country’s football scene. Hamza played on home soil for the first time — and did not disappoint the crowd at Dhaka’s National Stadium. He marked his home debut in style, scoring in the 6th minute and helping Bangladesh beat Bhutan 2-0. The second goal came from Sohel Rana’s powerful strike.

After 55 long months, football returned to the Dhaka National Stadium. It was the home debut for both Hamza Choudhury and Fahamedul Islam. Throughout the match, the gallery echoed with the chants of enthusiastic fans.

All eyes were on Hamza and Fahamedul during yesterday’s (June 4) match against Bhutan at the National Stadium — and they didn’t disappoint. In the 6th minute, Hamza Choudhury scored off a Jamal Bhuiyan assist, sending fans into a frenzy. It wasn’t just his first goal for Bangladesh — it was his first goal in international football as well.

In their last encounter, back in September of last year, Javier Cabrera’s men had lost 1-0 to Bhutan. With this win, the red-and-green brigade took sweet revenge.

Playing on home soil for the first time, Hamza lit up the pitch and once again won the hearts of the fans.

In a FIFA International Friendly match, Bangladesh led Bhutan 1-0 at halftime, thanks to a goal from star footballer Hamza Choudhury. The sensational midfielder gave Bangladesh the lead as early as the 6th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick.

Hamza, who has played in the English Premier League, has been a figure of excitement among Bangladeshi fans — and he added to that hype by scoring just six minutes into his debut on home soil. The crowd erupted with joy as he found the back of the net.

The goal came from a precise corner taken by Jamal Bhuiyan, who recently returned to the national team. Hamza rose high inside the box and beat the Bhutanese goalkeeper with a powerful header, giving Bangladesh an early 1-0 lead.

This was Hamza Choudhury’s first-ever goal for Bangladesh, making the moment even more special. Head coach Javier Cabrera had hinted earlier that Hamza would feature in this friendly against Bhutan, along with Fahmidul Islam, a player based in Italy. Both players were named in the starting lineup.

Bangladesh Starting XI:
Mitul Marma (GK), Tajuddin, Sad Uddin, Sohel Rana, Fahmidul Islam, Jamal Bhuiyan, Topu Barman, Rakib Hossain, Kazem Shah, Tariq Kazi, Hamza Choudhury.

Bangladesh will face Bhutan tomorrow at the National Stadium in Dhaka, followed by another match against Singapore at the same venue on June 10.

In a friendly match against Bhutan at the National Stadium in Dhaka tomorrow, the Bangladesh national football team will take the field. There had been much speculation about whether expatriate footballers Hamza Choudhury and Fahammedul Islam would feature in this match. Finally, national team coach Javier Cabrera confirmed that Hamza will make his first appearance on home soil wearing the Bangladesh jersey in this game.

Additionally, young footballer Fahammedul Islam is also expected to get some playing time during the match. It’s worth noting that both Hamza Choudhury and Fahammedul Islam have already arrived in Dhaka ahead of the matches against Bhutan and Singapore. Canadian expatriate Shamit Som is expected to join the team tomorrow, Wednesday. He may make his national team debut in the match against Singapore.

All three players—Hamza, Fahammedul, and Shamit—are included in Bangladesh’s 26-man preliminary squad for the matches against Bhutan and Singapore. The match against Singapore is part of the Asian Cup qualifiers. In the previous qualifier held last March, Bangladesh played out a goalless draw against India. That match marked the international debut for Hamza Choudhury, who has played in the English Premier League.

England-based footballer Hamza Choudhury has arrived in Dhaka ahead of the Asian Cup qualifier match against Singapore. Although Hamza was scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:30 AM on Monday (June 2), a flight delay caused him to arrive at 10:55 AM. After arriving in the morning, the defensive midfielder joined the team’s practice session later in the afternoon.

Following a few hours of rest at the hotel after arriving in the morning, Hamza came to the national stadium for training at 5 PM. This was his first-ever training session at the national stadium. Like yesterday, coach Javier Cabrera kept the session closed to the media. However, a few federation officials and stadium personnel were present during the training.

Hamza has already made his debut for Bangladesh, but he is yet to play on home soil. The match against Singapore will mark the first time the expatriate footballer plays in Bangladesh wearing the national jersey.

The Bangladesh national football team began their camp for the Asian Cup qualifier on May 30. On that day, 24 out of 26 players reported to the camp. This morning, Hamza joined the camp from England. On the morning of the day after tomorrow, Samit Som will arrive from Canada.