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It’s not just the Indian team that will be boasting of star power in their ranks when they face Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. With Leicester City star Hamza Choudhury set to make his maiden appearance for Bangladesh later this month, the Blue Tigers might not get to call themselves favourites, even if they have the home advantage for the match that takes place in Shillong, Meghalaya on 25 March. And even if they have the legendary Sunil Chhetri back in their ranks .
Choudhury, born to a Grenadian father and a Bangladeshi mother and raised in a traditional Muslim household, was given a hero’s welcome in Sylhet in the eastern part of the country on Monday.
“It feels incredible. My heart is pumped,” Choudhury was quoted by The Daily Star as telling reporters at the Osmani International Airport where he landed at noon. “Amazing, amazing. A long time coming. Excited to be here.”
"InshaAllah, we will win against India!"
— Field Vision (@FieldVisionIND) March 17, 2025
-Hamza Choudhury
The Sheffield United star is all set to represent Bangladesh in the high voltage game upcoming against India in Asian Cup Qualifiers.#IndianFootball #INDvBANpic.twitter.com/qEUTRW7nc2
Why Choudhury’s arrival gives Bangladesh the upper hand against India?
India have been bolstered by the return of iconic forward Chhetri, who had bid an emotional goodbye to international football in June last year, only to recently announce his decision to come out of retirement for the upcoming fixtures. And Chhetri’s return does strengthen the attack of a team that has been struggling for a while now, having failed to win a single game in 2024, and is currently 126th in the FIFA rankings.
Choudhury, however, is on a different level compared to all the players who will be in action at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium next Tuesday. The 27-year-old, who currently is on loan at Sheffield United from Leicester, has spent several years in the Premier League – considered by some to be the top club football league in the world in terms of competitiveness as well as financial might.
The Leicester City Academy product made 131 appearances for the ‘Foxes’ since his senior debut in 2017 and was part of the side that won their only FA Cup title in 2021.
As for Bangladesh’s chances of triumphing over the Indian team in the upcoming contest, Choudhury sounded confident.
“Inshallah, we will win. I’ve spoken with coach Javier (Cabrera) about many things. Inshallah, we will win and progress,” he added.
Choudhury had represented England, the country of his birth at the U-21 level, making his debut in 2018 and featuring in the UEFA European U-21 Championship the following year.
And though his dream initially was to represent the English senior side, he later decided to switch his allegiance to Bangladesh, obtaining a Bangladeshi passport in August last year before making the switch official in December.
Chhetri, meanwhile, will be making his first appearance for the Indian team under coach Manolo Marquez, who had replaced Igor Stimac shortly after the latter was axed by the AIFF in June – the same month in which the forward had retired.
Six days before their Asian Cup qualifying match against Bangladesh, India face Maldives in a friendly match at the same venue.
What happens if India lose to Bangladesh later this month
The upcoming fixtures will be the third and final round of qualifiers for the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup. A total of 24 teams are in action in this round and are divided into six groups of four. The team that finishes at the top of each group will join the 18 teams that have already qualified for the tournament. Each side will be play the remaining teams in their group twice – home and away.
India are grouped alongside Hong Kong and Singapore, both of whom are ranked lower than the Indian team. Hong Kong sit 29 places below the Blue Tigers in the FIFA rankings at 155th and Singapore are a further five places lower at 160th.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, are the lowest-ranked team in the group at 185th. But with someone of Choudhury’s stature in their ranks, the ‘Bengal Tigers’ have the edge of the other teams.
Given the fact that only one team can qualify from a group, every game becomes crucial for India as well as for all the other teams involved. Marquez’s team therefore will be eyeing a winning start no matter how big the challenge.
There will be a total of six match-days in the third round which gets underway on 25 March and concludes on 31 March next year. Two of those fixtures – the third and fourth match days – will be taking place in the month of October (9 and 14) followed shortly after by Match Day 5 on 18 November.
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