Iranian coach Saeid Khodarahmi will begin his mission to build the first-ever National Futsal Team of Bangladesh ahead of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, scheduled to be played across eight Asian countries from September 20 to 24.
The Bangladesh Football Federation appointed the 59-year-old Saeid on July 23 for a three-month term.
Saeid was introduced at a press conference at the BFF on Sunday, shortly after his arrival in Dhaka.
鈥業 think today futsal was born in your country鈥� It鈥檚 a tough responsibility. I will try my level best to develop Bangladesh鈥檚 futsal,鈥� said Saeid, who previously coached Myanmar for five years before joining Bangladesh.
Initially, the BFF selected 53 players out of 630 after a two-day trial held on July 20 and 21, conducted by coaches Alfaz Ahmed, Saifuzzaman Shamim, Rashed Chowdhury, and the coaches from BFF Elite Football Academy.
Saied鈥檚 first assignment will be to select 24-player through a two-day trial, starting on Tuesday at the Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium.
He will then conduct the training and finalise a 14-member squad for the group-stage qualifiers tournament in Malaysia.
Bangladesh are pitted in Group G to face the defending champions and 13-time winners Iran in the opener on September 20, followed by matches against hosts Malaysia on September 22 and the UAE on September 24.
A total of 31 teams, divided into seven groups of four and one group of three, will compete in the qualifiers. The draw was held in Malaysia on June 25.
The eight winners of each group, along with the seven best runners-up, will qualify for the 18th Futsal Asian Cup, set to take place in Indonesia in January 2026.
