Bangladesh will take on host Maldives in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier scheduled to be held tomorrow (Thursday) at the National Stadium in Male.

The match kicks off at 5 pm (BST).

The team that wins the first match of the two legs will advance in the race for the World Cup qualifiers.

Addressing the pre match press conference held today (Wednesday) in Male, Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera said they are focusing the match with utmost importance and attention.

Bangladesh have been playing great football in recent times under this Spanish coach, especially Bangladesh confirmed the semi by defeating Maldives in SAFF Championship. Coach Javier however does not want to be complacent about that result.

He said they are very much aware about their opponents how much they can afford. Cabrera said they respect Maldives and at the same time they are cautious as well.

The Spanish coach firmly said they want to move forward by winning the match.

Bangladesh’s recent performance under this coach is lauded everywhere but the thing is that Bangladesh have no previous record of win against the hosts in Male.

The coach of Bangladesh however does not bother about it and is focusing the Thursday’s match.

Bangladesh and Maldives have clashed on sixteen occasions in the past. Bangladesh have a slightly better record with seven wins to their name while Maldives were victorious in six previous games. Their most recent meeting came in June 2023 when Bangladesh claimed a 3-1 victory in the SAFF Championship.

Bangladesh earlier shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Afghanistan in a friendly match in the last international window.

The Bangladesh team completed their training session today afternoon at the match venue.

Bangladesh will play their second leg against the Maldives on October 17 at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka.