Bangladesh will take on Timor-Leste in their Group A opener of the AFC Under-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers at Tonglianglong Stadium in China today.
The first match of the six-team group is scheduled to start at 12:00pm Bangladesh Standard Time.
In the other four games, Bangladesh will play against Brunei at Yongchuan Sports Center Stadium on November 24 before facing Sri Lanka at Tonglianglong Stadium on November 26, Bahrain at YSCS on November 28, and the group hosts China at the TS on November 30.
A total of 38 teams are split into seven groups - three groups of six and four groups of five teams 鈥� and each of the group winners will qualify for final stage to be held in Saudi Arabia in May 2026.聽
The seven group winners of the Qualifiers will be joining hosts Saudi Arabia in the final stage with the eight other nations, who have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
However, over the past 19 years, Bangladesh鈥檚 best performances have been finishing as group runners-up in 2017 and 2022. This time, they aim to reach the finals.
鈥榃e are here to qualify鈥e have no clear idea about Timor-Leste. So, we will have to play according to our game plan,鈥� said Golam Robbani Choton at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
鈥楢ll the opponents here are strong. China and Bahrain have solid football backgrounds, while Sri Lanka, Brunei, and Timor-Leste are developing their bases well. We will focus on our own game, and we are here to qualify,鈥� he added.