The Bangladesh Under-21 hockey team left for India on Tuesday with a hope of making a mark in their maiden appearance in the 2025 FIH Hockey Men鈥檚 Junior World Cup scheduled to be held in Tamil Nadu from November 28 to December 10.
鈥業n our first-ever appearance in the tournament, we want to set up an instance, which can inspire others in the future,鈥� said Bangladesh captain Mehrab Hasan Samin before leaving the country.
Siegfried Gottlieb Aikman鈥檚 charges are pitted in Group F alongside 1997 champions Australia, France, and South Korea of the 24-team competition.
Bangladesh will start their campaign against Australia at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai on November 29 before facing South Korea and France at the same venue on November 30 and on December 2, respectively.
They will play two warm-up matches against Chile and Switzerland before the tournament proper.聽
Bangladesh left without player Mahadey Hasan, who was diagnosed with dengue, as confirmed by the Bangladesh Hockey Federation.
Apart from Mahadey, coach Aikman and BHF general secretary and team manager Lt Col (retd) Riazul Hasan also could not fly with the team.
Riazul could not fly due to visa issues, while Aikman left for Holland on Tuesday to attend the post-funeral ceremony of his mother, who passed away recently during the Bangladesh and Pakistan national teams鈥� three-match play-off series for next year鈥檚 FIH World Cup Qualifiers.
After the group stage matches, eight group winners and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the quarter-finals.
The other four second-placed teams and the four best third-ranked teams will play the playoffs to secure a pot from 9th to 16th, while the remaining teams will compete for positions from 17th to 24th.