Photo: Collected
Midfielder Hamza Choudhury is taking the field wearing the captain’s armband in the red and green jersey for the first time. An inspired Bangladesh face Sri Lanka today in their last Group A match of the SAFF Championship. Finishing the group stage with a win and topping the group are both the team’s goals.
The Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match will begin at 8pm on Wednesday at the National Stadium.
The team, which began the tournament by beating Bhutan, has made a big reshuffle in the XI today. The coach has made three changes to the starting XI to bring balance to defence and attack.
Still, above everything else, the biggest attraction of today’s match is Hamza’s captaincy.
Hamza had shown a mature mindset a day earlier about this new chapter of leading the national team.
He had clearly said he was ready to take on whatever responsibility the coach gave him. To him, a bigger matter than the armband is keeping unity and a family-like atmosphere in the dressing room. With this belief and trust, he will lead the team from the front in midfield today.
Mohammad Ibrahim, who played brilliantly coming off the bench against Bhutan, will be on the pitch from the start this time. Forward Farhan Ali Wahid has got a place in the XI to sharpen the attack. Jamal Bhuyan and Faisal Fahim, who were in the squad for the first match, have been dropped in this tactical change. Biswanath Ghosh is out of this match due to injury.
Bangladesh’s semi-final berth was confirmed as soon as the Sri Lanka-Bhutan match in Group A ended in a 2-2 draw last Sunday. Before that, in the tournament’s opening match, the red and green team beat Bhutan 1-0 when substitute forward Mohammad Ibrahim scored in the second half.
With three points from one match, Bangladesh are at the top of the Group A points table. Sri Lanka have one point from their first match. Even a draw will keep the hosts on top. And a win will further boost the team’s confidence ahead of the knockout stage.
The XI taking the field
Mehedi Hasan Srabon (goalkeeper), Saad Uddin, Tariq Kazi, Zidan Yusuf, Zayan Ahmed, Hamza Choudhury (captain), Kazem Shah, Shamit Shome, Rakib Hossain, Mohammad Ibrahim and Farhan Ali Wahid.
Background
According to a Dhaka Tribune report of 8 November 2026, after the Bhutan-Sri Lanka draw, Bhutan’s hopes are also alive in the group calculations: if Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by at least two goals, Bhutan can also reach the semi-finals.
Dhaka Tribune’s match report of 5 November 2026 said Ibrahim scored the winning goal against Bhutan in the 69th minute.
At a glance
According to a 2 August 2026 report by Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times, this year’s SAFF Championship is being held in Bangladesh from 4 to 17 November. An ANI report published in Qatar Tribune on 3 August 2026 said the top two teams from each of the two groups will reach the semi-finals; the semi-finals are on 14 November and the final on 17 November.
Sources
Background sources: Dhaka Tribune, 8 November 2026; Dhaka Tribune, 5 November 2026; Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), 2 August 2026; Qatar Tribune (ANI), 3 August 2026
