Bangladesh national football team captain Jamal Bhuyan believes the country has the potential to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the future. However, he identified three major obstacles that continue to hold Bangladesh back: the lack of quality strikers, unhealthy competition among domestic clubs, and the country's football structure being heavily Dhaka-centric.

Jamal made the remarks during a reception held in his honor in New York while he was visiting the United States to watch FIFA World Cup matches. The event was organized by sports social media platform Gameplify, where he expressed gratitude to members of the Bangladeshi diaspora for their warm reception and continued support.

A Brazil supporter, Jamal also travelled to Houston to watch his favorite team's World Cup match.

Speaking at the event, Jamal pointed to Cape Verde as an example of how a small nation can compete on football's biggest stage. He noted that many Cape Verdean players regularly feature in European leagues and said Bangladesh could also dream of World Cup qualification if more high-quality overseas-based players join the national team alongside Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome.

The Bangladesh captain, however, stressed that the country's biggest footballing weakness is the shortage of quality strikers. According to Jamal, domestic clubs rely heavily on foreign forwards in their pursuit of success, leaving local attackers with limited opportunities to develop. As a result, Bangladesh has struggled to produce top-class homegrown strikers, which he believes is a major barrier to the national team's progress.

Jamal also spoke about the national team's coaching situation, claiming that former head coach Javier Cabrera oversaw a decline in the team's performances. He said new head coach Thomas Dooley is working to rebuild the side and guide it in a positive direction. Bangladesh secured a victory over San Marino in Dooley's first match in charge, providing an encouraging start to the new era.

Reported by: Murad Hasan, New York