Expat touch, senior core drive U-23s' hopes in Asian Cup Qualifiers

Bangladesh are aiming to qualify for the AFC Men's Under-23 Asian Cup for the first time with a squad featuring 13 senior national players and four expatriates: Cuba Mitchell and Tanil Salik (UK-based), Fahamedul Islam (Italy), and Zayaan Ahmed (US).

"Having 12 to 13 senior players is a big boost… The new players like Cuba, Zayaan and Salik have added quality, and we feel mentally prepared for the challenge," said star forward Morsalin, tipped to captain the side in the Qualifiers event.

The squad will leave for Vietnam in the early hours of Saturday, ahead of their campaign opener against the hosts on September 3 before they take on Yemen (September 6) and Singapore (September 6) in Group C fixtures.

Fahamedul, however, will join his teammates directly in Vietnam on September 1 but is unlikely to start in the first match.

Eleven group winners and the four best runners-up will advance to the 16-team finals in Saudi Arabia in 2026.

In preparation, the charges of AKM Saiful Bari Titu trained in Bahrain for over three weeks and played two friendlies against Bahrain U-23, losing 1-0 and 4-2.

"The chemistry we built in Bahrain has lifted confidence," said Titu, also BFF technical director, adding the team are also working to adapt to the playing style which national coach Javier Cabrera plans to use in October's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Hong Kong.