Bangladesh to Play in ASEAN Cup

Finally, some good news for Bangladesh football. Bangladesh will take part in the FIFA-organized ASEAN Cup in Indonesia after India withdrew from the tournament. Bangladesh has been given the opportunity to replace India, with FIFA and the tournament organizers approving their participation.

The decision was confirmed after a meeting of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) executive committee today. BFF Media Committee chairman Amirul Islam Babu told the media, “Following the application we submitted to FIFA, we received positive news last night (Friday). We are going to play in the ASEAN Cup and have received permission to participate.”

The ASEAN Cup will be held in Indonesia from September 24 to October 4, with eight teams divided into two groups. Bangladesh will take India’s place in Group A, where they will face hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Group B consists of Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Pakistan.

This will be the first edition of the ASEAN Cup to be organized under FIFA’s supervision. China, India and Hong Kong were invited as guest teams from outside the ASEAN region, and all three initially accepted the invitation. However, India has now withdrawn because they are scheduled to play a friendly against five-time world champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3.

Bangladesh will therefore participate in the ASEAN Cup as the invited replacement for India.

The tournament also comes at an important time for Bangladesh, with the SAFF Championship scheduled to be held on home soil in November. Bangladesh are hoping to reclaim the SAFF title, and the BFF had already been planning to use the September FIFA window to give the national team valuable preparation. The original plan was to play a tournament at home or travel to Kyrgyzstan for matches.

India’s withdrawal from the ASEAN Cup has now opened up an even better opportunity. Bangladesh will use the tournament as preparation for the SAFF Championship, with Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome and their teammates set to face strong opposition in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Another major advantage is that FIFA will cover the Bangladesh team’s travel and accommodation costs for the tournament. The team will also receive a participation fee and have the opportunity to earn prize money.

The BFF has already decided that the national team’s training camp will begin on August 27 ahead of the tournament. Under German-American head coach Thomas Dooly, Bangladesh will begin preparations for what promises to be an important test before the SAFF Championship.