Bangladesh Under-23 team coach Saiful Bari Titu believed that their 12-day-long training camp in Bahrain would help them to overcome the group stage hurdle in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Group C qualifiers in Vietnam.
Bangladesh returned home from Bahrain on Tuesday and are expected to leave for Vietnam on Friday to take part in the qualifying matches against Vietnam, Yemen and Singapore on September 3, 6 and 9, respectively.
Bangladesh could never cross the group-stage barrier in the qualifying tournament in the previous six occasions since 2013.
During their tour of Bahrain from August 14 to 26, Bangladesh conceded 1-0 and 4-2 defeats against Bahrain鈥檚 under-23 team in the two friendly matches at the BFA Football Field in Bahrain.
聽鈥榃e worked very hard in the 12-day-long camp. I think all players have a strong desire to advance further from the group stage of the qualifiers,鈥� said Titu after the end of training in Bahrain on Monday night.
鈥楤ahrain are a strong opposition, almost similar to Vietnam. So we have gathered some positive things from the friendly matches. This kind of preparation ahead of the qualifiers will give the players a clear picture about what they can expect from Vietnam. Now our entire squad鈥檚 target is the same; that is, to qualify for the next stage,鈥� added the coach.
A total of 44 teams will compete in the qualifiers, with 11 group champions and four best-ranked runners-up joining hosts Saudi Arabia in the finals, to be held in January 2026.
