Bangladesh U-17 captain Nazmul Huda Faisal has set his sights on reaching the main round of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup as the team departs for China to compete in the qualifiers. At a time when the senior men’s team, the U-23 men’s side, and the U-17 women’s team all failed to qualify for their respective Asian Cup finals, the U-17 boys believe they can bring positive news for the nation. 

The senior women’s team and U-20 women’s team have already ensured their places in their Asian Cup main rounds, but recent eliminations on the men’s side have intensified expectations on Faisal’s squad.

Next year’s AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia will feature 16 teams. Nine nations — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, UAE, and Indonesia — will participate directly based on hosting rights or qualification through the FIFA U-17 World Cup pathway. 

The remaining spots will be filled by the winners of seven qualifying groups involving 38 teams. Bangladesh have been placed in Group A alongside hosts China, Bahrain, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and Sri Lanka. China and Bahrain are expected to be Bangladesh’s toughest opponents, with the team opening their campaign against Timor-Leste.

Despite being drawn into a challenging group, head coach Golam Robbani Choton expressed confidence that Bangladesh can finish on top. He said the team’s preparation has been strong and that the players have earned valuable experience from the SAFF U-17 Championship and an invitational tournament in China. 

Captain Faisal echoed the same ambition, saying the team’s target is to qualify for the finals by becoming group champions and that they are fully prepared. A question regarding Faisal’s age surfaced during the press conference, but coach Choton clarified that he was selected based on verified age and performance.

The qualifiers will be held in China’s Chongqing province, where temperatures are significantly colder than in Bangladesh. To acclimatize, the team will arrive earlier than the AFC’s mandated reporting date. although AFC requires teams to reach China by November 20, Bangladesh will travel on November 18 to adjust to temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius. 

Bangladesh’s fixtures in the qualifiers are as follows:
22 November – Timor-Leste, 24 November – Brunei, 26 November – Sri Lanka, 28 November – Bahrain, and 30 November – China.