United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh have climbed three places in the latest FIFA rankings, following a spirited draw against Nepal and a statement victory over regional rivals India. The year-ending rankings, released by FIFA within 24 hours of the close of the men’s international break, kept Spain firmly at the top. Bangladesh played two matches during the November FIFA window. Javier Cabrera’s side began with a 2–2 draw in last Thursday’s friendly against Nepal, before sealing a memorable 1–0 victory over India on Tuesday in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The results propelled Bangladesh to 180th position, a three-step rise from their previous ranking. India, by contrast, slid six places and now sit 142nd after the defeat. Spain, meanwhile, confirmed their place in next year’s World Cup with one win and one draw across two fixtures. Although they dropped a few points, the 2010 world champions remain atop the global standings. Argentina also held their ground, staying second after a 2–0 victory over Angola in their only match this month. There was no movement in the next two spots either, with France retaining third place and England anchored in fourth. Both sides enjoyed flawless campaigns in this month’s World Cup qualifiers, winning two matches each. Brazil had a mixed outing with a 2–0 win over Senegal followed by a 1–1 draw against Tunisia. The five-time world champions nonetheless climbed two places to fifth. Portugal and the Netherlands each slipped one spot, moving down to sixth and seventh respectively. Belgium remain eighth, while Germany and Croatia rose one position each to ninth and tenth. Italy endured another setback, falling three places to 12th. The four-time world champions, absent from the past two World Cups, now face renewed pressure as they look toward the playoffs to keep their 2026 hopes alive.    

Hosts Bangladesh will play defending champions Palestine in the opening match of the six-nation Bangabandhu International Gold Cup Football Tournament on January 15 at 5:pm at the country’s premier sports venue—Bangabandhu National Stadium here.

The year 2019 was tumultuous year for Bangladesh football, which witnessed its fair share of highs and lows over the past 12 months. Overall though, it has to be said that under Englishman Jamie Day, the men’s national team seem to be on to a good thing for the first time in years. It remains to be seen how much further the team can progress under his tutelage. Before turning the page to 2020, let's look back at the year that was for Bangladesh football.   Slight improvement in FIFA rankings   The Bangladesh Men’s National football team started the year 2019 ranked a dismal 192nd out of 210 nations in the FIFA rankings. They moved to 188th slot in April and then jumped up five place to move 183rd in June and then 182nd in July. That would remain the peak for the year however, as they again slipped down to 184th in October and finally ended the year at 187th with 915 points – so not all that much better in the end, but certainly not worse.