Bangladesh football team are set to conclude the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification round campaign with the final Group I fixture away to Lebanon in Doha, Qatar Tuesday.
As it is preliminary joint qualification round 2 of both the World Cup 2026 and Asian Cup 2027, Bangladesh will then be competing in the Asian Cup qualifying third round scheduled to start next year.
After each team played five ties, Australia (15 points) and Palestine (8 points) confirmed top two places from the group to advance to World Cup qualifying third round, leaving Lebanon (3 points) and Bangladesh (1 point) vying for third place on the final day of the second round.
Bangladesh’s only point came at home to Lebanon at the end of last year thanks to Sheikh Morsalin’s equalizer after the break.
Lebanon (120) is not only far ahead of Bangladesh (184) in the latest FIFA rankings but also held Palestine to a goalless draw last week while the men in red and green restricted the Socceroos to a creditable 2-0 defeat.
The match between Palestine and Lebanon was also held in Doha while Bangladesh hosted Australia before traveling to the Middle East.
On pen and paper, Lebanon are favorites but Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera wants a point from the tough contest.
“We have an opportunity to send a message to other teams that we are going to face upcoming competitions to confirm we are a difficult team in Asia and that gives challenges to players,” Cabrera said through a video provided by Bangladesh Football Federation officials Monday.
The Spanish tactician added: “If we get point (against Lebanon) we can upgrade ranking a little bit and that would have impact in future competitions including Asian Cup third round.”
Skipper Jamal Bhuiyan wants to put up a good performance and get three points.
The midfielder also urged the Bangladeshi people working in Qatar to come to the stadium and support the travelling team.
The game kicks off at Khalifa International Stadium at 10pm BST.