Bangladesh national team head coach Javier Cabrera called up 14 players for the camp ahead of their two FIFA International friendlies against Bhutan on September 5 and 8.
Midfielder Didarul Alam of Fortis Football Club received his first national team call-up, while custodian brothers Hossain Sujan of Mohammedan Sporting Club and Pappu Hossain of Brothers Union were recalled.
The camp begins at the Kings Arena on Monday, with the final squad being announced on August 29, a day before the team leaves for Bhutan.
鈥楾he camp will begin with these 14 players on Monday. The final 23-member squad will be named on August 29,鈥� Cabrera told the media at the Bangladesh Football Federation on Saturday.
He will call up more players from Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings and some from the Under-20 team, who are now in Nepal, to take part in the SAFF Under-20 Championship.
Midfielder Jamal Bhuyan, who was not picked up by any club during the just concluded players鈥� transfer window for next season, got his place in Cabrera鈥檚 14 players, comprised of three goalkeepers, four defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards.
Bangladesh last played an international match on June 11 when they conceded a 0-4 defeat to Lebanon in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
The Bhutan friendlies are BFF鈥檚 ploy to improve Bangladesh鈥檚 FIFA rankings, which will help them secure Pot-3 instead of Pot-4 in the upcoming draw for the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, scheduled for December 19, 2024.
鈥楢lmost three months later, we鈥檙e playing another game. Now we need to play games to improve our ranks. Finally, it is vital to play games in Bhutan. Cabrera emphasised the importance of the Bhutan games.
鈥業 am aware that these two games provide excellent opportunities for players. We are presently in a very unstable scenario due to the situation of the BPL clubs, and it is critical for them to prove that they are ready and fit to play and do something for the country,鈥� he said.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mitul Marma, Hossain Sujan, Pappu Hossain; Defenders: Mehedi Hasan, Rahmat Mia, Isa Faysal, Sakil Hossain; Midfielders: Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammad Ridoy, Didarul Alam, Syed Quazem, Jayed Ahmed; Forwards:聽 Shahriar Emon, Arman Foysal Akash.聽聽
