United will face the winner of the second semi-final in the May 24 English second-tier playoff decider at Wembley with Sunderland leading Coventry City 2-1 ahead of the second leg of their tie at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome has been cleared by FIFA to play for Bangladesh, Bangladesh Football Federation vice president Fahad Karim confirmed to The Daily Star today. 

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is working towards staging the high-profile clash at the 22,000-capacity stadium.

Bangladesh star Hamza Choudhury was involved in a heated altercation while Burnley fans stormed the pitch to celebrate a Premier League return.   

Following Sheffield United midfielder Hamza Choudhury’s debut for Bangladesh against India last month, interest among expatriate footballers in representing the national team has seen a notable rise. Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome has already expressed his desire to play for Bangladesh.

The National Sports Council (NSC) has called upon all federations in the country to integrate high-skilled athletes of Bangladeshi origin and encourage them to represent Bangladesh. 

According to the long-serving captain, the most notable transformation since Hamza’s arrival has been a dramatic rise in team confidence.

The encounter brought together two sides with contrasting ambitions -- Sheffield chasing a return to the Premier League, and Plymouth battling to avoid relegation.

The 26-year-old Hamza, who recently made his debut for Bangladesh in their AFC Cup fixture against India in Shillong, has been a regular starter for the Blades.

Jamal Bhuiyan, the most-capped player in Bangladesh’s history, is slowly becoming a peripheral figure in the team despite being the captain. To know his views on this issue and his overall plans in football, The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman and Atique Anam caught up with the Denmark-born midfielder. Following are the excerpts of the interview.

The 27-year-old, currently a regular for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League, was previously capped twice in friendlies for the Canada senior team in 2020.

Bangladesh star Hamza Choudhury's home debut at the National Stadium is becoming a reality as officials from Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) visited the venue today to assess the ongoing renovation progress.

Fresh off their hard-fought goalless draw against India in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, Bangladesh’s national footballers took a break from the grind to spread festive cheer, extending Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to fans worldwide.

It wasn’t just his skills on the pitch that won hearts—it was his character.

Hamza Choudhury’s arrival sparked enthusiasm and interest in football in Bangladesh like never seen before.

Cabrera hails debutant's impact

Bangladesh had to be satisfied with a draw after fluffing a host of opportunities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong in their AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against India on Tuesday.

Hamza Choudhury was named in the starting XI for Bangladesh in their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture against India, with regular captain Jamal Bhuiyan kept on the bench.

Most people these days will not believe me when I tell them that there was once a time when us Bangladeshis had very strong emotions related to football and our footballers. We did not have English hooligans, but each and every locality was somewhat divided between an epic rivalry of Mohammedan versus Abahani.

The match kicks off at 7:30 pm (Bangladesh time) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya, and will be broadcast live on T Sports.