The Bangladesh U-23 national football team (), also known as the Bangladesh Olympic football team, is a youth football team operated under the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). The team represents Bangladesh in international youth football competitions in the Summer Olympics, South Asian Games and the Asian Games, as well as any other under-23 and under-22 international football tournaments, such as the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
History 1990s In 1991, the Bangladesh Football Federation formed its first olympic national team in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics qualifiers, which was jointly held in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur. The team coached by Abdul Hakim consisted of: Lahol, Bijon, Mohamed Mohsin Jr., Arif Moon, Aman, Masoud Rana, Barun Bikash Dewan (vice-captain), Jewel Rana, Sohel, Jamrul, Rumman Sabbir (captain), Mahabub Roksy, Alamgir Hasan, Sadekul Islam Uttam, Shafiqul Quader Munna, Zakir Hossain, Golam Gauss, Ekramur Rana, Mamun Joarder and Imtiaz Nakib. Bangladesh were placed in Group D with South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. In the first game held in Seoul, South Korea, on 18 May 1991, Bangladesh went down 2–3 to Thailand. Masoud Rana scored the olympic team's first ever goal with captain Sabbir scoring a consolation late into the game. On 24 May 1991, the team registered their first victory by thrashing the Philippines 8–0 as, Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib scored a national record of five goals in one match. In the second phase of the qualifiers held in Malaysia, Bangladesh earned victories over both hosts Malaysia and returning Philippines. The team finished second bottom in the group with three wins and five losses from eight games.
2000s The team returned to action during the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea. Under Austrian coach György Kottán they failed to win a single game while conceding nine goals and scoring only once in the process. The 2004 South Asian Games saw Bangladesh produce another disappointing campaign as they failed to advance past the group-stages after suffering a surprise 0–1 defeat to Pakistan. Nonetheless, during the tournament they earned their first victory in more than a decade by defeating Afghanistan 2–1, on 30 March 2004. The team followed up their dismal performances with multiple unsatisfactory campaigns, failing to win a single match during both the 2006 South Asian Games and 2006 Asian Games. On 14 February, Zahid Hasan Ameli lone strike against hosts Hong Kong earned the team only their second victory of the decade, however, Bangladesh crashed out of the 2008 Summer Olympics qualifiers preliminary round 1, suffering a 1–3 aggregate defeat.
2010–present 2010 South Asian Games
The 2010 South Asian Games took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Football Federation appointed Serbian coach Zoran Đorđević only three weeks before the tournament. The hosts opened the tournament with a 3–0 victory over Nepal, on 30 January 2010. In the following game, held two days later, the team confirmed their semi-finals berth by thrashing Bhutan 4–0. They finished group winners as Zahid Hossain scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Maldives in the final group game. In the semi-final against tournament favourites, India, who fielded an U-20 team, Tawhidul Alam scored the lone goal in front of 20,000 fans present in the Bangabandhu National Stadium and sent the hosts to the final. In the gold medal match against Afghanistan, the team outplayed their opponents 4–0 and set a new tournament record of not conceding a single goal for five consecutive games. This was also the country's first South Asian Games football triumph since the tournament's re-introduction as an under-23 competition in 2002. Nonetheless, coach Zoran decided against extending his contract and departed only six days after the tournament concluded. Eventually, the team which was branded as the Golden generation were unable replicate the same form during the 2010 Asian Games and also as senior internationals.
2014 Asian Games
Bangladesh began preparation for the 2014 Asian Games in August 2014 under Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif. On 3 August 2014, the Bangladesh Football Federation president, Kazi Salahuddin, held a press conference to motivate the selected players for the national team's camp. The president stated "Our football is going through a difficult period. The way football is running at the moment, it will be hard to sustain things for long. The FIFA fund that we get is not enough to even meet the coaches' salaries which is why we need financial support from sponsors and the government". The president further requested the players to return with satisfactory results in order to attract future sponsorship deals. The team played a preparatory match against Vietnam after reaching Incheon, South Korea. They suffered a 2–4 defeat. On 15 September 2014, Bangladesh began the tournament with a 1–0 victory over Afghanistan, which was the country's first victory in the Asian Games after 28 years. However, their chances of advancing past the group stages took a huge blow after suffering a 0–3 defeat to Uzbekistan in the following game. The team crashed out of the tournament after losing the final group-stage game against Hong Kong, despite dominating possession.
2016 South Asian Games
Bangladesh participated in the 2016 South Asian Games in hopes to defend their title. They qualified for the semi-finals, following a 2–1 victory over Nepal in the final group-stage game. However, the team bowed out of the tournament after suffering a 0–3 defeat at the hands of India. During the match Bangladesh coach Gonzalo Sanchez was sent off for shouting at a referee for denying his team a penalty. Bangladesh finished the tournament by winning the Bronze medal match against Maldives on penalties.
2018 Asian Games
Bangladesh began preparation for the 2018 Asian Games by playing practice matches with different clubs from South Korea and before the start of the tournament the team's captain, Jamal Bhuyan stated "I would keep this team ahead of the one from four years ago. We have had good training and we are playing practice matches. Everyone is committed to doing well in Indonesia". On 14 August 2018, Bangladesh began their campaign with a 3–0 defeat to Uzbekistan at the Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Indonesia. In the following game, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil scored to earn the team a point against Thailand and kept Bangladesh's hopes of advancing past the group stages alive. On 19 August 2018, captain Jamal Bhuyan made history with his goal against Qatar which confirmed the Bangladesh's spot in the round of 16. The team suffered elimination following a 1–3 defeat in the round of 16 match to North Korea. Nonetheless, the team's performance in the tournament was celebrated all over the country.
Recent results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2025
2026
Coaching staff Current personnel
PositionNameHead coach Sariful Bari TituTeam manager Md Shahin HasanAssistant coach Shahedul Alam ShahedGoalkeeping coach Nizam Mazumder
Managerial history
ManagerCountryYearCompetition(s) Abdul Hakim Bangladesh 1991 György Kottán Hungary 20022002 Asian Games group stage Shafiqul Islam Manik Bangladesh 2003 Bangladesh 20042004 South Asian Games group stage Andrés Cruciani Argentina 20062006 South Asian Games group stage Hasanuzzaman Bablu Bangladesh 20062006 Asian Games group stage Abu Yusuf Bangladesh 2007 Zoran Đorđević Serbia 20102010 South Asian Games gold medal Robert Rubčić Croatia 2010–20112010 Asian Games group stage Saiful Bari Titu Bangladesh 2012 Lodewijk de Kruif 2014–20152014 Asian Games group stage Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno Spain 20162016 Bangabandhu Cup group stage2016 South Asian Games group stage Andrew Ord England Australia 2017 Jamie Day England 2018 Asian Games round of 16 Maruful Haque Bangladesh 2021 Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu Bangladesh 2023 Javier Cabrera Spain 20232022 Asian Games group stage Saiful Bari Titu Bangladesh 2025–present
Players Current squad The following 23 players were called up for the 2026 Diamond Jubilee Tournament.
Caps and goals updated after the game against Maldives.
Recent call-ups The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby COV Withdrew due to COVID-19 RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
Competition records Olympic Games recordQualificationsYearResultPositionSquad 1992Did not qualify83051415 1996Did not participateDid not participate 2000Did not participateDid not participate 2004Did not qualify201103 2008Did not qualify210113 2012Did not qualify200205 2016Did not qualifyDid not qualify 2020Did not qualifySee AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers 2024Did not qualifySee AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers 2028To be determinedTo be determinedTotal0/8—000000—144191526
Asian Games HostsResultPositionSquad 2002 Busan20/24300319 Squad 2006 Doha24/303003213Squad 2010 Guangzhou24/243003110 Squad 2014 Incheon20/29310225 Squad 2018 Jakarta & Palembang15/25411237 Squad 2022 Hangzhou20/21301202 Squad 2026 Aichi & Nagoya Did not qualify 2030 DohaTo be determinedTo be determined 2034 RiyadhTotalRound of 166/19192215946—
Asian Games HistorySeasonRoundOpponentScoresResultVenue2002Group stage0–3Loss Gudeok Stadium 0–3Loss1–3Loss2006Group stage0–3Loss Al-Gharafa Stadium 1–5Loss1–5Loss2010Group stage0–3Loss Ying Tung Stadium0–3Loss1–4Loss Huadu Stadium2014Group stage1–0Won Munhak Stadium0–3Loss Wa~ Stadium1–2Loss Hwaseong Sports Town2018Group stage0–3Loss Pakansari Stadium1–1Draw1–0Won Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium Round of 161–3Loss Wibawa Mukti Stadium2022Group stage0–1Loss Yellow Dragon Sports Center0–1Loss0–0Draw
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
YearResultPositionSquad 2013 Did not qualify4 0 0 4 3 14 2016 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 0 8 2018 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 1 13 2020 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 2 2 2022 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 4 2024 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 0 6 2026 Did not qualify 310244 2028 To be determined To be determinedTotal0/8—000000—181116647
South Asian Games Hosts / YearResultPosition 20045/8311122 20066/8302123 20101/85500130 20163/6421157 20193/5411223Total6/411 Title199552415
South Asian Games HistorySeasonRoundOpponentScoresResultVenue2004Group stage0–0Draw Army Stadium Army Stadium Jinnah Stadium2–1Won0–1Loss2006Group stage1–1Draw Sugathadasa Stadium0–0Draw1–2Loss2010Group stage3–0Won Bangabandhu Stadium4–0Won1–0WonSemi-finals1–0WonFinal4–0Won2016Group stage1–1Draw SAI Centre2–1WonSemi-finals0–3Loss Bronze medal match1–1 Draw2019Group stage0–1Loss Dasharath Rangasala1–1Draw1–0Won0–1Loss
Head-to-head record
The team's head-to-head records against all 28 nations (all of them from AFC) whom they have played to date, including friendly internationals.
Bangladesh national under-23 football team head-to-head records Opponent Confederation Win%AFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFCAFC Total 32 nations 85 17 13 55 65 157 −92 20.00%Last match updated was against on 7 June 2026.
Honours South Asian Games Gold medal (1): 2010
See also Bangladesh national football team Bangladesh under-20 football team Bangladesh under-17 football team Bangladesh women's national football team Bangladesh women's under-20 football team Bangladesh women's under-17 football team
References
External links Bangladesh Football Federation