Premier League players compete against the Vietnamese national team

Hamza Choudhury, a player who has played for Leicester City, is included in the preliminary list of the Bangladesh national team for a friendly match against the Vietnamese national team on March 26 at Hang Day Stadium.

According to the latest information, the Bangladesh national team has sent a preliminary list of 38 players to Vietnam to prepare for an international friendly match with the Vietnamese national team during the FIFA Days in March 2026. Notably, this list includes midfielder Hamza Choudhury, who has played in the English Premier League, and several foreign-born players.

The friendly match with Bangladesh takes place less than a week before the Vietnamese national team faces a crucial encounter with Malaysia in the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. To prepare for their visit to Hanoi, the Bangladesh national team brings what is considered their strongest current squad, including up to seven Bangladesh-born players who grew up in developed football environments such as England, Finland, the USA, Canada, or Denmark.

Head coach Javier Penato, who previously worked at the Barcelona Academy in the USA and coached the Deportivo U19 team before taking charge as head coach of the Bangladesh national team, places particular trust in Hamza Choudhury. This 28-year-old midfielder has scored 4 goals in just 7 appearances for the Bangladesh national team, quickly becoming a standout player in the squad.

Hamza Choudhury joined Leicester City at the age of 7 and developed within the club's training system. He has represented the England U21 team 7 times and played in the Premier League. During his career, Choudhury helped Leicester City win the FA Cup in the 2020/2021 season, the English Super Cup in 2021, and the First Division championship in the 2023/24 season. The talent of this midfielder once attracted attention from Barcelona.

Besides Choudhury, Bangladesh has six other notable foreign-born players. Defender Tariq Zaki developed in the Finnish football environment and represented the national youth teams U16, U17, U18, and U19 between 2016 and 2018.

Midfielder Cuba Mitchell played for youth teams before signing a professional contract with Sunderland (England). Meanwhile, midfielder Shamit Shome made two appearances for the Canadian national team before expressing his desire to contribute to Bangladesh – the homeland of both his father and mother. Additionally, the Bangladesh squad includes players Zayyan Ahmed (born in the USA), Kirmanee Shah (Canada), and Jamal Bhuyan (Denmark).

From 2025 to the present, the Bangladesh national team's record includes 2 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses in official matches.

However, the South Asian team no longer has a chance to compete for a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals, as they are temporarily ranked third in their group in the final qualifying round, trailing the group leader Singapore by 6 points after 5 matches.

In the final match on March 31, Bangladesh will play as guests on Singapore's home ground, against the opponent who defeated them 2-1 in the first leg nine months ago.