Bangladesh eye historic Asian Cup spot ahead of China clash
A victory against China on Monday will create yet another slice of history for Bangladesh football. Both Bangladesh and China have recorded four straight wins in Group A of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, setting up an unofficial final in Liaoning. The winner tomorrow will book the sole ticket to the main tournament.
The crucial encounter kicks off at 5:35pm Bangladesh time.
The other four teams in the group – Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Brunei – have already been eliminated.
Bangladesh have scored 20 goals in their four matches while conceding just once, a 2-1 win over Bahrain. China, the group hosts, have been ruthless, netting 38 goals without conceding a single one. A draw would therefore be enough for China to progress on goal difference.
Speaking in a video message sent by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), captain Nazmul Huda Faisal said: “We have won all four previous matches, though the last one against Bahrain was very tough. Everyone knows tomorrow’s game is the unofficial final. Whoever wins will qualify for the Asian Cup. It is an extremely important match for us.”
Acknowledging China’s superiority – they are ranked 93rd by FIFA compared to Bangladesh’s 180th – Faisal remained defiant: “China are a very strong side, but we will give our absolute best to win and qualify.”
Bangladesh have previously qualified for the continental stage twice at U-17 level and four times at U-16, but never advanced beyond the group phase. Their last appearance came in 2006, when they lost all three matches.
Nineteen years on, the young Tigers stand on the cusp of a return to Asia’s big stage. This year, Bangladesh’s senior and U-20 women’s teams made history by reaching their respective Asian Cups for the first time. Now it is the boys’ turn to deliver.
