Bangladesh confirmed to play in FIFA ASEAN Cup

Bangladesh have been officially cleared to play in the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia, taking the place vacated by India.

The Bangladesh Football Federation received FIFA's approval on Saturday, August 22, confirming the news at its executive committee meeting.

India withdrew from the tournament to prioritise a friendly against Brazil in Kolkata on October 3, creating the opening for Bangladesh.

The BFF had separately approached ASEAN about joining should a vacancy arise, and duly accepted once it did.

Division 1 of the FIFA funded ASEAN Cup runs in Indonesia from September 24 to October 4, featuring eight teams split into two groups.

Bangladesh will play in Group A alongside hosts Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Every side is guaranteed at least four matches. The two group winners meet in the final, the runners up play off for third, and the remaining teams contest fifth and seventh place based on their group standings.

Participation comes at little cost to the BFF, with organisers covering travel, accommodation and participation fees for every team.

The tournament also arrives just a month before the SAFF Championship in November, adding to its importance.

Head coach Thomas Dooley had welcomed the prospect of Bangladesh's late inclusion when speaking on August 15, ahead of the invitation being formalised, calling the tougher regional opponents useful preparation for the SAFF Championship.

"It's in our neighbourhood. Ahead of us are very strong teams where you can actually find out about mistakes we do and we can learn from those mistakes," Dooley said at the time.

He also revealed Bangladesh had explored a fixture in Kyrgyzstan as a backup option, and said the federation stood ready to arrange its own tournament with interested teams had the ASEAN Cup opportunity not come through.