Bangladesh U23

Emergence (1971–1980)

Prior to the independence of Bangladesh, the East Pakistan football team represented the region in national and international matches beginning in 1948. The first true precursor to a Bangladesh national football team emerged during the 1971 Liberation War with the formation of the Shadhin Bangla football team, which toured India playing exhibition matches and donated all their prize money to support the provisional Bangladesh government. Following the eight-month war and the eventual surrender of the Pakistan Army on 16 December 1971, a de facto national side known as Dhaka XI became active the next year, earning a notable win in Dhaka against Mohun Bagan on 13 May 1972, and finishing as runners-up in the Bordoloi Trophy held in Guwahati, India, from August 1972.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was founded on 15 July 1972 by Muhammad Yusuf Ali, the country's former Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs. BFF became affiliated with AFC in 1973 and FIFA in 1976. Former Dhaka XI head coach Sheikh Shaheb Ali was put in charge of the first national team, and Zakaria Pintoo, who led the Shadhin Bangla team before liberation, was made its captain. In July 1973, Malaysia invited Bangladesh to take part in the Merdeka Cup. Along with Pintoo, the first national team consisted of: Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, Abdul Motaleb, Monwar Hossain Nannu, Dilip Barua, Nazir Ahmed, Firoj Kabir, Farukuzzaman, Abdul Hakim, Sharifuzzaman, Md Kaikobad, Enayetur Rahman, Kazi Salahuddin, Pratap Shankar Hazra, Sheikh Ashraf Ali, Sunil Krishna and Nowsher.

On 27 July 1973, the Bangladesh football team played its first official game, a 2–2 draw against Thailand in the Merdeka Cup. Enayetur Rahman scored the country's first-ever international goal, and the second goal was scored by fellow striker Kazi Salahuddin. After the stalemate, the game went to penalties, where Bangladesh lost 6–5. On 13 August 1973, after concluding their journey in Malaysia, the team played a friendly in Singapore, and earned their first ever win by defeating the hosts 1–0, thanks to a goal from Nowsher. In August 1975, Bangladesh was again invited to partake in the Merdeka Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During their underwhelming tournament, the players were informed about the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and decided to abandon the tournament to return home amidst the political unrest. However, fearing a FIFA ban, the team was obliged to play their game with South Korea, making a symbolic protest by keeping the Bangladesh flag at half-mast and wearing a black badge, as they lost 4–0.

Aside from competing in the 1976 King's Cup, Bangladesh remained largely inactive until 1978, when Werner Bickelhaupt was appointed as the country's first foreign coach. The team faced internal conflict ahead of the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, as the captaincy initially handed to Monwar Hossain Nannu of Dhaka Abahani was eventually given to Shahidur Rahman Shantoo of rival club Mohammedan. In protest, seven Abahani players, including Nannu, quit the squad. The depleted and inexperienced team struggled in the tournament, losing 0–1 to Malaysia and 0–3 to India.

The 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers began on home soil on 1 March 1979, and under coaches Anwar Hossain and Anjam Hossain, Bangladesh opened with draws against Afghanistan and Qatar before securing a 3–2 victory over Afghanistan in the penultimate match, which was enough to qualify for the main tournament. At the 1980 AFC Asian Cup in Kuwait, coached by the veteran Abdur Rahim, Bangladesh was drawn with Iran, North Korea, Syria, and China. They began the tournament respectably with a narrow 3–2 loss to North Korea, with goals from Kazi Salahuddin and Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu, and a 0–1 defeat to Syria. However, the remaining games saw Bangladesh suffer 7–0 and 6–0 defeats, respectively, to Iran and China, which saw them finish bottom of their group.

Shortcomings (1981–1989)

Bangladesh took part in the 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament in Karachi, Pakistan, under the guidance of Abdul Gafur Baloch, who had previously coached the country's youth teams. The team struggled throughout the competition, failing to win a single match and suffering a heavy 9–0 defeat to Iran, matching their loss to South Korea at the 1979 Korea President's Cup as their joint heaviest-ever defeat. Following the tour, the BFF appointed German head coach Gerd Schmidt ahead of the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, India. Bangladesh went into the tournament without players from leading club Dhaka Abahani, who were arrested following a First Division League match brawl and were eventually indicted for allegedly conspiring in a potential coup against Chief Martial Law Administrator Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The team was eliminated at the group stage after defeats to India and China, before earning their first victory on Asia's biggest stage against Malaysia (2–1), with Ashish Bhadra and Badal Roy scoring.

In 1983, during the third President's Gold Cup held in Dhaka, Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu scored a hat trick in a 4–2 victory over Nepal in a group match, becoming the first Bangladeshi player to achieve this feat. The following year, Bangladesh attempted to qualify for their second AFC Asian Cup but finished second from bottom in their group during the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification in Jakarta, Indonesia. In the inaugural South Asian Games in 1984, Bangladesh participated without players from one of the country's leading clubs, Mohammedan, who instead took part in the IFA Shield in India. The team topped the group stage, defeating Bhutan 2–0, Maldives 5–0, and Nepal 5–0. However, they finished as runners-up after a 4–2 defeat to hosts Nepal in the final at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.