The Bangladesh U-23 team will play two friendlies against hosts Bahrain on August 18 and 22 as their preparation for the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers to be held in Vietnam from September 3 to 11.
The team will leave home for Vietnam five days prior to the qualifiers, as the national team鈥檚 committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation decided it in a meeting on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the decision regarding the coach for the team鈥檚 tour of Bahrain was not finalised; however, it is likely that the BFF will appoint the national team鈥檚 technical director, Saiful Bari Titu, as the coach prior to the start of the camp, which is expected to start within the next few days.
鈥楾he coach鈥檚 name will be disclosed before the team camp, which is expected to begin within the next two to three days,鈥� national team committee member Iqbal Hossain told reporters after the meeting.
However, Bangladesh, who are drawn in Group C, will start their qualifiers campaign against Vietnam at the Viet Tri Stadium on September 3 before facing Yemen and Singapore at the same venue on September 6 and 9, respectively.
A total of 44 teams split into 11 groups will take part in the qualifiers at the 11 respective centralised venues across Asian countries.
The 11 group champions alongside four best-ranked runners-up teams will join hosts Saudi Arabia in the finals of the tournament in January 2026.
