Bangladesh vs Australia prediction, preview, team news and more | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Bangladesh will welcome Australia to the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. The hosts are at the bottom of the Group I standings, losing three of their four games thus far. The visitors, meanwhile are table toppers, having won all four games.
The hosts were last in action in March, suffering a 1-0 home loss to Palestine as they failed to score for the third time in four games in the ongoing qualifying campaign.
The visitors made it two wins on the trot in their previous outing, registering a thumping 5-0 win over Lebanon. They have already qualified for the next round and need just one point to retain their place as the Group I toppers.
Bangladesh vs Australia Head-to-Head
The two teams have met thrice thus far with all meetings coming in the FIFA World Cup qualifying phase. The visitors have dominated proceedings in this fixture, winning all three meetings with a 16-0 aggregate score.
Bangladesh form guide (all competitions): L-L-D-L-W
Australia form guide (all competitions): W-W-L-W-D
Bangladesh vs Australia Team News
Bangladesh
Anisur Rahman Zico has been dropped out of the final squad while Sheikh Morsalin and Tariq Raihan Kazi return to the squad after missing the games against Palestine in the March international window due to injuries. Head coach Javier Cabrera has called up a 26-man squad for this match.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Australia
Craig Goodwin, Riley McGree, Aiden O’Neill, John Iredale, Tom Glover, and Lewis Miller have not been called up due to injuries while Maty Ryan and Sammy Silvera have been given time off after a busy schedule with their respective clubs.
The 25-man squad announced by head coach Graham Arnold has a couple of players receiving their first call-ups.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bangladesh vs Australia Predicted XI
Bangladesh Predicted XI (4-3-3): Mitul Marma; Bishwanath Ghose, Rimon Hossain, Saad Uddin, Topu Barman; Jamal Bhuiyan, Sohel Rana, Mohammad Ridoy; Rakib Hossain, Shekh Morsalin, Rafiqul Islam
Australia Predicted XI (4-4-2): Joe Gauci; Aziz Behich, Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Cameron Burgess; Jackson Irvine, Keanu Baccus, Connor Metcalfe, Mathew Leckie; Kusini Yengi, Nestory Irankunda
Bangladesh vs Australia Prediction
The Bengal Tigers have endured a winless run in four games in the World Cup qualifiers second round, scoring just once while conceding 14 goals. They have just one win in their last 12 home games in the qualifiers and are likely to face an uphill task in this match.
Socceroos have a perfect record in the qualifying campaign scoring 15 goals without a reply and will look to build on that form. They have suffered just one loss in their last 11 games in all competitions and are strong favorites.
Considering the current form of the two teams and the visitors' dominance in this fixture, Australia are expected to record a comfortable win and the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Bangladesh 0-4 Australia