‘Historic moment’: Bangladesh make futsal debut today

Bangladesh are set to play their first official futsal match when they square off against 13-time champions Iran in a Group G encounter of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kuantan, Malaysia, today.

The match will kick off at 2:00 pm [Bangladesh Time] at Stadium Tertutup Sukpa.

Bangladesh face a massive task today, having come into the tournament on the back of just a month and a half of preparation.

"We came here to learn and gain experience because I took the responsibility of Bangladesh just 45 days ago, and it is very difficult since Bangladesh don't have anything like a futsal stadium, coaches, players, or other facilities," Iranian coach Saeid Khodarahmi told reporters in Malaysia yesterday.

After selecting 53 players from open trials, Bangladesh trained for over two months in total before undergoing a 10-day camp in Malaysia.

Captain Rahbar Wahed Khan, who played two games for the national football team in 2021, described this opportunity as a "historic moment for Bangladesh."

"We are very lucky to play our first match against the best side of the group -- Iran -- which will set our standard," Rahbar added.

Bangladesh will play their second group match against Malaysia on September 22 before taking on the UAE on September 24.

Some 31 teams, split into eight groups, will play round-robin group matches, with the eight group champions and seven best runners-up joining hosts Indonesia in the 16-team finals to be held from January 27 to February 7 next year.