The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has taken a historic step by preparing to field a national futsal team in the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers—marking the country’s debut on the international futsal stage. In preparation, BFF hosted an extensive two-day trial on Sunday and Monday at the National Handball Stadium, where an impressive 650 players participated. From this pool, selectors have provisionally shortlisted 52 candidates.
Former national football icon Alfaz Ahmed served as one of the chief assessors. Reflecting on the selection process, Ahmed stated, “Nearly 650 players took part in the trial. Each was given at least ten minutes of playing time. We’ve picked over fifty players, including six or seven goalkeepers.”
Ahmed was joined by fellow former internationals Shamim and Raju, both of whom have corporate futsal experience—prompting the BFF Futsal Committee to appoint them as evaluators.
BFF Futsal Committee Chairman Imranur Rahman shared updates on the next phase of preparation: “Our foreign coach from Iran is expected to arrive next week, after which we’ll make an official announcement. A second round of trials will be held shortly to further trim the squad. By 19 August, we’ll finalise and register a 24-man squad with the AFC. Ultimately, 14 players will travel to Malaysia for the qualifiers.”
Bangladesh will compete in Group B of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled for 20–24 September in Malaysia. Their group includes multiple-time champions Iran, hosts Malaysia, and the UAE. With only eight group winners and the seven best runners-up earning places in next year’s final tournament in Indonesia, Bangladesh will likely target a runner-up finish—given Iran's status as group favourites.
