Meanwhile, Spain remain world number one, with reigning champions Argentina overtaking France to second, and Germany re-entering the top 10.

To reach the final round for a third time, Bangladesh must deliver a stronger, more composed performance than against Jordan.

Topu said he was "not happy with the overall results" in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers "because, as a team, we expected better."

These moments frame a larger picture of our sporting mindset.

It was a moment to breathe, to reset, and to gather strength before another battle awaits at Kowloon’s Kai Tak Sports Park on October 14.

Again and again, Cabrera’s choices seemed part of a personal experiment gone wrong.

The Spanish coach ultimately took responsibility for the defeat at the National Stadium.

For many of the travelling fans, it was a first-of-its-kind adventure.

Hamza Choudhury will lead the midfield along with Sohel Rana Sr, Sohel Rana Jr and Sheikh Morsalin.

The team will next face hosts UAE on October 9 before heading to Amman for the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Reflecting on the 2-1 defeat to Singapore, he admitted the team “let themselves down” with two sloppy goals and missed chances.

The visitors, comprised of U-17 players, defeated Henan Provincial Experimental High School Football Team by a 4-0 margin in the semifinal on Friday.

The tournament was launched in 2015 as a talent-hunting initiative with financial support from the Japan Football Association (JFA).

A brilliant hattrick from Samuel Boateng helped Mohammedan come from behind twice to beat Bangladesh Police 3-2 in a Group B encounter on the opening day of the Federation Cup at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla on Tuesday.

In a repeat encounter of last season’s Challenge Cup fixture, Federation Cup winners Bashundhara Kings thrashed Bangladesh Premier League champions Mohammedan by 4-1 in the curtain-raiser of the new football season at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla yesterday..

The venue and a few fresh faces are the only changes from last season, when Kings came from behind to beat Mohammedan 3-1 in a match that was halted for 10 minutes after flares were thrown onto the Bashundhara Kings Arena pitch.

The Bangladesh women's squad is mainly made up of U-17 players who recently competed in the SAFF U-17 Women's Championship, while the Chinese team features footballers from two universities, dominated by Yunnan Minzu University.

The squad has been carefully formed, with players drawn from different football academies including BKSP and Shams Ul Huda Academy.

Among the top guns, Portugal moved up to fifth, pushing Brazil down a spot, while Italy re-entered the top ten.

Cash-strapped and facing leadership uncertainty ahead of club elections, Mohammedan's struggle to provide basic facilities exposes a wider truth about the country's top-tier football: big ambitions, fragile structures.