‘Surreal’ support inspires England-born Farhaan ahead of ASEAN Cup bow

Farhaan Ali Wahid says the backing he has received from Bangladesh supporters since his maiden call-up to the senior side has been "surreal," as the England-born winger prepares for his first taste of national team action at the forthcoming AFC ASEAN Cup 2026 in Indonesia.

"It was amazing, definitely. It's very exciting for me to represent my country, my ethnicity, my background. And you know, there's a lot of support from the fans as well. I'm really excited to start," Farhaan told DAZN on Sunday.

The 19-year-old, born and raised in England, has been named in the 23-man squad for the tournament in Indonesia, starting September 25.

With the national side struggling to find pure strikers, head coach Thomas Dooley has hinted that Farhaan could be tried out.

Farhaan's Bangladeshi roots come through his father, while his football upbringing has been entirely within the English system. He moved from Chelsea's academy to Fulham's at Under-12 level, progressing through the age groups to the Under-21s.

Last season, the left-winger scored six goals and provided nine assists in Premier League 2. He is currently on loan at fifth-tier club Boreham Wood to gain regular senior football experience.

"It's crazy, the amount of support I'm getting is like amazing. It's surreal for me to have such a backing already. It only encourages me to stride on and do good for my country," Farhaan said.

Bangladesh open their ASEAN Cup campaign against Malaysia on September 25, before facing Singapore and hosts Indonesia in the group stage.

Ahead of linking up with the squad, Farhaan said he was looking forward to what could be a special moment in his career.

"I'm very excited to be joining the team in Indonesia and hopefully, we can go and win," he said.