Brazil propose October friendly match with Bangladesh

Brazil’s national football team could be heading to Dhaka for a historic friendly against Bangladesh, with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) proposing a match at the National Stadium on 5 or 6 October.

A five-member Brazilian delegation visited the National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday, inspecting the pitch, dressing rooms, stands and media facilities before also visiting Bashundhara Kings Arena. The delegation later met Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Tabith Awal.

According to a BFF source, Brazil are considering bringing a delegation of around 90 people to Dhaka for the proposed match. However, the BFF has not yet given a final response as Bangladesh’s national team will be involved in the FIFA ASEAN Cup at the time.

The ASEAN Cup is scheduled to begin on September 24, with the final set for October 3 in Indonesia. Bangladesh are due to play three group-stage matches in the tournament.

Brazil have proposed playing Bangladesh during the September-October FIFA international window, which ends on October 6.

The Brazilian delegation’s visit to Dhaka was linked to preparations for the team’s planned tour of India. Brazil are scheduled to play India in a friendly in Kolkata on October 3. India had earlier withdrawn from the FIFA ASEAN Cup to accommodate the match, after which FIFA invited Bangladesh to take India’s place.

A visit by Brazil would be historic, as the five-time world champions have never played a match in Bangladesh.

The last major South American football team to visit Dhaka was Argentina, who played Nigeria at the National Stadium on September 6, 2011.