Bangladesh midfielders Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome will be unavailable for their upcoming FIFA international friendlies against Nepal, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on September 6 and 9.
Spanish coach Javier Cabrera鈥檚 charges will play the matches as part of their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Hong Kong in October.
Hamza will remain busy with pre-season preparations for EFL Championship club Leicester City, while Shamit will be with his team Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Consequently, they will miss the campaign against Nepal, as FIFA rules do not obligate clubs to release players for friendlies outside international windows.
鈥榃e always want Hamza and Shamit in any Bangladesh national team match. But, this time they will not be available for the matches against Nepal due to their club commitments,鈥� Bangladesh Football Federation executive committee member Sayeed Hasan Kanon told the media after the BFF national team鈥檚 committee meeting at the BFF House on Thursday.
England-based Hamza made his debut for Bangladesh in a goalless draw against India on March 25.
On his home debut on June 10, Canada-based Shamit joined Hamza when Bangladesh was defeated 2-1 by Singapore in Dhaka.
In their Group C qualifiers, Bangladesh will host Hong Kong on October 9 before playing an away game on October 14.
