Report: Hamza Choudhury in talks to join Bangladesh national team for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers

Hamza Choudhury has made 53 appearances in the Premier League.

The Bangladesh football federation are trying hard to make it possible for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury to be part of their national team camp for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in March.

Choudhary, who is a British Asian born in Loughborough in England, is eligible to play for the Bangladesh football teams due to his roots to the country through his grandparents. The 26-year-old has not yet made his debut at the senior level and seems to be ready to play for the Bengal Tigers on the international stage.

The Bangladesh national team will be holding a conditioning camp in early March to prepare themselves for the upcoming games against Palestine in the World Cup Qualifiers. They want Hamza to be part of that camp and possibly also play for them in the matches in late March.

Amer Khan, the current team manager for the Bangladesh national team, has confirmed that the federation are trying their hardest to ensure that Hamza Choudhury can take part in the squad for the upcoming qualifiers.

He stated: “We are working on the situation of Hamza and trying our best. Let’s see what happens, the attempts are ongoing. There is an 80% chance that we’ll get him as part of the squad. However, they are still continuing to play over there in the Championship and if he doesn’t get a break, then he can’t join the squad.”

The Bangladesh federation will need to strike an agreement with Leicester City to let Hamza leave for their national camp during the international break in March. However, with the Foxes fighting for the Championship title race, it remains to be seen if they allow their midfielder to leave at this point of the season.

Hamza’s Bangladeshi roots come from his grandparents, whom he often used to visit as a child in their home in Habiganj – a major town in the country. Fortunately, FIFA rules allow players to play for different nations as long as they have biological connections through their ancestors. An example of the same would be how Diego Costa played for Spain despite being born in Brazil.

Hamza Choudhury has represented England at the youth levels, making seven appearances for their U-21 side in the past. He is yet to play at the senior international level, but could do that with Bangladesh if things go according to plan – as Bangladesh allow dual citizens to play for their national team.

Hamza has made 30 appearances for Leicester City this season and has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League – having made 53 appearances in the competition in his career – in which he scored one goal and provided two assists.

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