Bangladesh officially confirms seven naturalized stars to face Vietnam national team

The Bangladesh national team has finalized a list of 38 players for training camp, preparing for the friendly match against the Vietnam national team on March 26 at Hang Day Stadium.

On the eve of the friendly match with the Vietnam national team at Hang Day Stadium, the Bangladesh national team has selected a preliminary list of 38 top players, including up to seven players of Bangladeshi origin who grew up in developed football environments such as England, Finland, the USA, Canada, and Denmark.

First, notable is the figure of Hamza Choudhury – a player who has competed in the English Premier League. This 28-year-old midfielder has scored 4 goals in just 7 appearances for the Bangladesh national team, quickly becoming a standout element in the squad.

Hamza Choudhury joined Leicester City at age 7 and developed within the club's training system. He previously played 7 times for the England U21 team and competed in the Premier League. During his career, Choudhury, with Leicester City, won the FA Cup in the 2020/2021 season, the English Super Cup in 2021, and the Championship title in the 2023/24 season. The talent of this midfielder once attracted attention from Barcelona.

It is known that when deciding to choose to represent the Bangladesh national team – the homeland of his mother – Hamza Choudhury received an enthusiastic welcome from fans in the country. During his first gathering with the national team in the capital Dhaka a year ago, he was greeted by thousands of supporters at the airport, becoming a new inspiration for Bangladeshi football.

Besides Choudhury, Bangladesh also has six other notable foreign-origin players. Defender Tariq Zaki developed in the Finnish football environment and previously represented the youth national teams U16, U17, U18, and U19 of that country during 2016–2018. Midfielder Cuba Mitchell played for youth teams before signing a professional contract with Sunderland (England).

Meanwhile, midfielder Shamit Shome had two appearances for the Canada 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).

Regarding recent performance, from 2025 to now, Bangladesh has a record of 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 group leader Singapore by 6 points after 5 matches. In the final match on March 31, Bangladesh will visit Singapore – the opponent that defeated them 2-1 in the first leg nine months ago.

Therefore, the friendly match against Bangladesh is seen as an important test for both national teams, while also providing an opportunity for Vietnamese fans to watch the performances of many notable figures in the squad from South Asia.