Bangladesh drawn in Group H of AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers

Bangladesh are again set to face a tough challenge in AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers as the men in red and green have been drawn alongside Thailand, Malaysia, and Philippines in Group H.

The draw of the 5th edition of the biennial tournament, which had featured the U-22s before 2016, was held in Kuala Lumpur today with 43 nations, split into 11 groups, taking part in the Asian Cup 2024.

The Qualifying round will take place from September 4 to 12, with Thailand hosting Group H. The top team of each group will advance to the final round, scheduled for April 15 to May 3 in 2024.

Since the introduction of the U-23 Asian Cup, Bangladesh never progressed to the final round. In previous four attempts, Bangladesh finished bottom on all occasions - except in 2020 where they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 to finish ahead of bottom-placed Sri Lanka and notch up their lone victory in 11 matches.

They also managed a draw against India during the 2016 edition qualifiers held in Dhaka in 2015.