Sports Desk:

Bangladesh will play a friendly match against Afghanistan at home as part of their preparation for November’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers home fixture against India.

Bangladesh and India will square off at the Dhaka National Stadium on November 18, the fifth match of the qualification campaigns for the two Group C teams, both of whom have been eliminated from the race for qualification.

Stadium during the November Fifa window, which runs from November 12-18, Bangladesh Football Federation’s general secretary Emran Hossain confirmed.

The exact date for the fixture, though, has not been finalised yet.

Meanwhile, after playing against Bangladesh, Afghanistan will play their fifth Group E fixture against Myanmar in Dhaka on November 18, BFF confirmed through a press release on Tuesday.

The Afghanistan team play their home fixtures in overseas venues as the country is still coping with the after-effects of prolonged wars and security situation not yet stable.

This match will mark the beginning of Bangladesh’s journey as a neutral venue for hosting other nations’ home matches.

It has been learnt that the Afghans will arrive in Dhaka on November 10 and will train here for the November 18 fixture against Myanmar and depart Dhaka on November 19.

Since Bangladesh and India will square off at the National Stadium on the same day, the Afghanistan vs Myanmar match is likely to take place at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, the only other AFC-certified venue currently in Bangladesh.