Bangladesh are all set to face South Asian neighbors the Maldives once again this year as the two sides will take on each other in back-to-back fixtures of the first round of joint qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.
The draw for the first and second round was held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thursday.
The first match will be played away in the Maldives on October 12 before the home match in Bangladesh on October 17.
Despite being placed lower in the FIFA rankings, the men in red and green defeated the Maldives 3-1 in the group round of the SAFF Championship 2023 in India last month.
The 10 winners from Round 1 will progress to the second round where top 26 teams will play directly amounting a total of 36 teams in nine groups.
If Bangladesh beat the Maldives, they will have Australia, Palestine and Lebanon in Group I of Round 2.
“It's a good draw for Bangladesh because we are mentally confident as we beat the Maldives in the SAFF Championship. But I know the upcoming ones will be totally different matches,” said Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan in a video message.
