United News of Bangladesh

The jersey that reigning World Cup champions Argentina will wear to defend their title in 2026 has surfaced online, featuring a modern, dynamic twist on the nation’s iconic design. The Adidas-designed home shirt is set for release in late 2025. The leak, courtesy of kit specialists Opaleak and OriolWarero, confirms that the kit will feature the traditional Albiceleste (the White and Sky Blue) look, enhanced by a contemporary aesthetic. The Adidas-designed home shirt maintains the classic white and sky blue vertical stripes but introduces an eye-catching gradient effect on the blue sections. Each blue stripe incorporates a two-tone fade, subtly transitioning from a lighter shade of sky blue to a darker one. This gradient shading creates a dynamic effect that refreshes the team’s historic pattern, a design element last seen on Argentina’s home kits in 2014 and 2018.

Images of the home kits for two of the favorites at the 2026 World Cup—reigning European champions Spain and a resurgent England—have been leaked online, giving fans a first look at what their teams could be wearing in North America next summer. Spain Opaleak has leaked images of Spain’s home kit, which show an adidas design that blends tradition with a bold new twist. The base is a deep red body paired with dark navy sleeves, while the three adidas shoulder stripes run in a red-yellow-red sequence, a subtle nod to the Spanish flag. Fine yellow pinstripes with dotted detailing run vertically down the jersey, adding texture and depth.

Luca Zidane, the 27-year-old son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria. The goalkeeper made the change with the hope of playing in a World Cup, much like his father. FIFA officially approved his switch on Friday and updated the information on Change of Association Platform’s website. The Algeria National Football Team also confirmed the news with an X (formerly Twitter) post. The post, which included a photo of Luca Zidane, welcomed him as a “New Desert Warrior.” Luca qualifies to represent Algeria through his paternal grandparents, who were from the Kabylie region of northern Algeria. He is the second of Zinedine Zidane’s four sons, all of whom came up through the Real Madrid academy. Luca won caps for France at various junior levels, including the under-20 team, but his hopes of representing the senior French team have diminished in recent seasons. He currently plays for Granada in Spain’s second division, while Mike Maignan has taken over the No. 1 spot for France from former captain Hugo Lloris. Espanyol eyes top spot as unbeaten side visits Real Madrid in La Liga clash With Luca’s addition, Algeria now has another option in its goalkeeping ranks. The team has used four keepers in the last year, including first-choice Alexis Guendouz, home-based Oussama Benbot, Anthony Mandrea of France’s third division, and Alexandre Oukidja, who plays in Serbia. Algeria is currently at the top of their World Cup qualifying group, four points ahead of second-place Uganda. They are expected to secure a spot in the 2026 finals in North America during their qualifier against Somalia next month. Luca’s Career Luca joined the Real Madrid academy at age six, where he stayed until he was 20. He played for the Real Madrid Castilla team and also made two appearances for the senior squad between 2017 and 2019. He had a loan spell with Racing Santander before permanently joining Rayo Vallecano, where he made further appearances in La Liga. He later played for Eibar in La Liga 2 before moving to Granada in July 2024.

Japan became the first team to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Bahrain 2-0 at Saitama Stadium on Thursday. Second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo ensured Japan finished in one of Asia Group C's top two automatic qualification spots. Mbappé returns to lead France against Croatia, Acknowledges past leadership struggles This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, and they will join co-hosts the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the expanded 48-team tournament. Earlier, Australia, currently in second place, moved closer to their seventh World Cup appearance with a 5-1 victory over Indonesia in Sydney. The match was Indonesia’s first under new coach Patrick Kluivert. Indonesia’s Kevin Diks missed a penalty in the 8th minute, and Martin Boyle capitalised on his own penalty 10 minutes later to give the Socceroos the lead. Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine added goals before halftime, and Lewis Miller extended the lead to 4-0 an hour into the game. Ole Romeny scored a consolation for Indonesia before Irvine netted his second, sealing a 5-1 win for the hosts. Argentina and Brazil seek replacements for Messi and Neymar in World Cup Qualifiers The top two teams from each of the three six-team groups in the third round of Asian qualifying will advance to the World Cup, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will compete in another stage for two more spots.

Bangladesh will face Australia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 second-round qualifier. The match will take place on November 16 at 3 pm Bangladesh time. Australia will host the match in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, and Bangladesh will host the second leg of this match. Preview of BAN vs. AUS FIFA World Cup 2026 Second Round Qualifiers Bangladesh beat Maldives to confirm their placement in the second-round qualifier of World Cup selection. In this phase of the World Cup qualifiers, Bangladesh will have the opportunity to play 6 home and away matches. The World Cup qualifiers start this month which will last more than a year and a half. Bangladesh advanced to the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers after defeating the Maldives in the first round by a margin of 3-2 in two matches. Now, they’re moving on to the second round, where 36 teams are divided into 9 groups. Bangladesh is in Group I with Australia, Lebanon, and Palestine as their opponents. They’ll play six matches in total, facing each team both at home and away. Read more: Bangladesh football team start training session ahead of FIFA World Cup qualifiers Australia is a dominating team, and it’s likely they’ll play aggressively against Bangladesh. It’s crucial that Bangladesh maintain a strong fighting spirit. Each player needs to focus on giving their best performance and ensure there’s no lack of effort on their part. The Bangladesh team has been actively involved in the game for the past few months. Following two drawn international friendlies against Afghanistan in September, some of the national team players participated in the U-23 side at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. In October, Bangladesh played two matches in the preliminary phase of the World Cup qualifiers against Maldives. Overall, the team’s recent performance has been promising and positive. On the other hand, Australia has been a consistent participant in the FIFA World Cup since 2006. They currently hold the 27th position in the FIFA rankings, a significant 156 spots ahead of Bangladesh, which is ranked 183rd. In the recent World Cup in Qatar, Australia performed well by defeating Denmark and Tunisia in Group D, earning a spot in the last 16. Although they faced a setback with a 2-1 loss against the eventual champions Argentina, their performance in the tournament was remarkable. After the World Cup, Australia played six friendly matches and won two of them while drawing one against Mexico. So, playing against such a team will be difficult for Bangladesh, and they are the underdog here. Read more: Bangladesh team to leave for Melbourne to play Australia in FIFA World Cup qualifiers BAN vs. AUS Head-To-Head Football Matches So Far Bangladesh has encountered Australia twice before. In the 2015 World Cup qualifiers, the Red and Green team suffered losses of 5-0 in Perth on September 3, 2015, and 4-0 in Dhaka on November 17, 2015. Jamal Bhuiyan played in both matches for Bangladesh. They will meet Australia for the third time on November 16. The Bangladesh team expresses confidence, noting that compared to the squad from 8 years ago, there are some differences in the team this time. Australia Squad Against Bangladesh Australia’s national football team (Socceroos) has announced a 23-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine, incorporating an experimental approach. Fourteen players in the squad did not participate in Australia’s Qatar World Cup campaign. The matches are scheduled for November 16 and 22, and the squad includes two debutants.  Western Sydney Wanderers’ striker Kusini Yengi has been unexpectedly selected after scoring five goals in nine matches for League One leaders Portsmouth. Charlton goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer is also included as a backup to Mat Ryan. Australia Team  Mat Ryan, Joe Gauci, Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Aziz Behich, Jordy Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Ryan Strain, Keanu Baccus, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O’Neill, Brandon Borrello, Martin Boyle, Mitch Duke, Craig Goodwin, Jamie Maclaren, Sam Silvera, Kusini Yengi. Bangladesh’s Probable Squad Bangladesh’s preparation for the upcoming match against Australia is focused on a determined fight. However, the preparation process is still incomplete, even on the eve of their departure to Australia. Thirty players were called to the camp, but the final team of 23 players scheduled to go to Melbourne is yet to be confirmed by Coach Javier Fernández Cabrera. The coach is uncertain about the inclusion of one or two players, causing a delay in the decision-making process. However, here is our predicted squad. Anisur Rahman Zico, Shahidul Alam Sohel, Topu Barman, Rimon Hossain, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Mohamed Atikuzzaman, Mehedi Hasan Mithu, Mohammed Jahid Hasan, Tanvir Hossain, Masuk Mia Jony, Hemanta Vincent Biswas, Papon Singh, Abu Shaeid, Motin Mia, Aminur Rahman Sajib, Sazzad Hossain, Shahriar Emon, Eleta Kingsley, Sarower Zaman Nipu, Jafar Iqbal, Mojibur Rahman Jony and Mohammad Ibrahim. Read more: World Cup Qualifiers: BFF announces 23-member squad to fly Australia Friday night Bangladeshi Footballers to Watch Rakib Hossain In the second leg of the World Cup qualifying play-off against Maldives, Bangladesh scored a goal at the beginning of the match. Forward Rakib Hossain scored a goal in the 11th minute of the match that led Bangladesh to a 1-0 scoreline, which eventually boosted confidence in the team. Rakib played 34 matches for Bangladesh and scored 4 goals. Isa Faysal Debuted on June 25, 2023, 24-year-old Isa Faysal is the most valuable player for Bangladesh with a €225k market value. He played a total of 7 matches for Bangladesh. Australian Footballers to Watch Harry Souttar Harry Souttar is one of the star players of the Australian national football team as well as for Leicester City. He played 19 games for Australia and scored 8 goals so far. Mathew Ryan Australian football team captain and goalkeeper Mat Ryan has appeared in 83 matches for Australia. Although he has conceded 81 goals so far, Ryan kept 33 clean sheets. So, he will certainly become a great wall for the Australian goalpost. In his more than 10 years of career, Ryan got a yellow card only once. Final Words Team Bangladesh left for Melbourne on November 11, 2023, after the day-long training. While Australia, ranked 27th globally, presents a tough opponent, Bangladesh remains optimistic despite being the underdog. It is expected that the Bangladesh vs. Australia match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 second-round qualifier round will be competitive and interesting. Read more: Bangladesh’s matches in the 2nd Round Qualifiers of FIFA World Cup 2026: Schedules, Fixtures, Team

The Bangladesh football team secured their spot in the second round of qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by beating Maldives 3-2 over two matches in the pre-qualifiers. This victory means that Bangladesh will have the opportunity to participate in more international matches in the next three years. Let’s take a look at Bangladesh’s opponents along with match schedules and fixtures in the next round. Bangladesh's Matches in FIFA World Cup 2026 Second Round Qualifiers: Schedules, Fixtures, Team Over the next three years, Bangladesh will have a chance to participate in at least 12 international matches in the FIFA World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers. Bangladesh will face Australia, Palestine, and Lebanon in the second round of the World Cup pre-qualifiers. This is the last stage of World Cup pre-qualification. There are a total of 9 groups here. Bangladesh is placed in Group I, alongside Australia, Palestine, and Lebanon. Out of these 9 groups (Group A to Group I), the top two teams from each group – a total of 18 teams – will advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. These 18 teams will get tickets for the 2027 Asian Cup directly. Considering Bangladesh’s football potentials and the reality, it must be said that it is very difficult to be in the top two from the group.  Read more: Bangladesh qualify for 2nd round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers beating Maldives by 2-1 goals Table: Bangladesh’s Matches in the Second Round Qualifiers of FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 Date and Time (Bangladesh Time) Match Venue November 16, 2023; 3:00 PM Australia vs Bangladesh Melbourne Rectangular Stadium November 21, 2023; 5:45 PM Bangladesh vs Lebanon Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka March 21, 2024; Time to be announced Bangladesh vs Palestine Venue to be announced March 26, 2024; Time to be announced Palestine vs Bangladesh Venue to be announced June 6, 2024; Time to be announced Bangladesh vs Australia Venue to be announced June 11, 2024; Time to be announced Lebanon vs Bangladesh Venue to be announced Bangladesh’s Performance in the First Round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Bangladesh played two matches against Maldives in the first round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The first match took place on October 12, and the second match was on October 17. Bangladesh drew against the Maldives in the 2026 Football World Cup qualifier playoffs’ first match. Jamal Bhuiyan’s team left the field with a last-minute goal to draw 1-1 in the first leg.