The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Academy under-17 team has successfully advanced to the quarter-finals of the invitational Tianyu Leofang Tournament in Lijiang, China. This comes ahead of Bangladesh’s U-17 team playing in the SAFF U-17 Championship semi-final in Sri Lanka on 25 September.
In their final group match today, the BFF Academy side suffered a 1-0 defeat against China’s provincial team from Wuhan.
Group Stage Performance
| Date | Opponent | Result | Goals |
| 23 Sep | China SanYang | Won | 4-0 |
| 24 Sep | Sri Lanka Academy | Won | 8-0 |
| 25 Sep | China Wuhan | Lost | 0-1 |
Despite the loss, manager Rakibul Islam confirmed that the team advanced as group runners-up with six points, with Wuhan topping the group after winning all three matches. He stated: “Even though we lost today, we finished the group with six points and have qualified for the quarter-finals. This afternoon, Cambodia will play the local Chinese team, and after that, our quarter-final opponent will be decided.”
The tournament in Lijiang coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh. As part of the celebrations, a Chinese university women’s team played against the Bangladesh Women’s Football Academy, while the men’s BFF Academy team participates in the invitational tournament.
The BFF Academy team’s strong showing, including decisive wins over Sri Lanka (8-0) and SanYang (4-0), reflects the growing strength of Bangladesh’s youth football programme on the international stage.
The team now awaits its quarter-final opponent, with hopes high to continue its successful run in the tournament.
