While the other two South Asian countries India and Pakistan faced defeat on Tuesday, Bangladesh played an important draw as part of the second round selection tournament of FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027.
India, who are in Group A of the qualifiers, beat Kuwait 1-0 in their first match last week, but lost 3-0 to strong Qatar at their home ground, Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Similarly, Pakistan, which is in Group G, lost to Tajikistan 6-1 in the home match in Islamabad on Tuesday. It is to be remembered that Pakistan suffered a 4-0 defeat in the first match of the group stage against strong Saudi Arabia at their home ground last week.
Similarly, Bangladesh, which is in Group I, lost a point by drawing 1-1 with strong Lebanon in the match held at home in Dhaka on Tuesday. Before that, Bangladesh lost 7-0 to Australia in their first match of the group stage last week.