Bangladesh made a forgettable debut in futsal as they suffered a crushing 12-0 defeat to holders and 13-time champions Iran in their Group G opener of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers at the Stadium Tertutup Sukpa, Kuantan, Malaysia, on Saturday.
Bangladesh started the contest well, with keeper Jahid Rabbi deflecting Masoud Yousef鈥檚 shot onto the bar before blocking Ali Khalilvand鈥檚 attempt in the opening minute.
Iran continued to press and bore fruit in the 10th minute when Hossein Sabzi capitalised on a mistake from Srabon Shakil to score and was quickly followed by the second to a near-post flick from Hossein Tayebi.
Tayebi made it 3-0 a minute later, smashing a high ball into the net from an acute angle, with Mohammadhossein Bazyar adding another as Saeid Khodarahmi鈥檚 charges struggled to cope with Iran鈥檚 pressure.
Yousef then squeezed a low shot home in the 16th minute before Behrooz Azimihematabadi fired home four minutes later for a 6-0 lead into the break.
Iran maintained their intensity after the interval, with Bazyar rifling in an unstoppable shot in the 21st minute after space opened up for him on the edge of the semi-circle.
Amihossein Gholami then smacked an effort against the bar as Bangladesh held Iran at bay until the 32nd minute, when Mohammadhossein Derakhshani teed up Khalilvand to strike home.
Iran wrapped up an outstanding performance with further goals from Saied Momeni (35th), Tayebi (37th), Mahdi Karimi (37th) and Gholami (38th).
In their next games, Bangladesh will play Malaysia and the UAE on September 22 and 24, respectively.
A total of 31 teams divided into seven groups of four and one group of three are competing in the qualifiers, and each group winner and the seven best-ranked runners-up teams will qualify for the 18th edition of the Futsal Asian Cup to be held in Indonesia in January 2026.
However, for their first appearance in futsal, Bangladesh initially selected 53 players through open trials before training for over two months and having a 10-day preparation camp in Malaysia.