Bangladesh’s debut journey at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 will conclude on Monday in Madurai, Tamil Nadu with the 17th/18th place decider — a match that also awards the Challenger Trophy, given to the best-placed team in the 17–24 bracket.
The trophy is a new initiative introduced by FIH President Tayyab Ikram to inspire emerging teams.
The junior boys in red and green will take on Austria in their final outing, carrying strong momentum after two dominant victories in the classification round.
Bangladesh have displayed remarkable growth throughout the tournament. They opened the 17–24th place decider phase with a commanding 13-0 win over Oman, their first-ever Junior World Cup victory, before earning an impressive 5-3 triumph against South Korea.
This came after earlier holding the Koreans to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the group stage.
At the heart of Bangladesh’s success is drag-flick sensation Amirul Islam, who has taken the tournament by storm. He has scored 15 goals, including four hat-tricks in five matches, to sit atop the tournament’s scoring chart. His consistency has been a standout feature of Bangladesh’s campaign.
In the group phase, Bangladesh fought valiantly despite suffering defeats. They lost their opening match 5-3 to Australia, where Amirul netted a brilliant hat-trick. In the following match, he struck another treble as Bangladesh came back from 3-0 down to draw with South Korea. The young side also impressed in a narrow 3-2 defeat to runners-up France, with Amirul scoring once more.
Bangladesh coach Seigfried Aikman highlighted the significance of Monday’s contest, saying:
“Playing for the Challenger Trophy means a lot as it gives us the possibility of winning a title.”
With momentum on their side, Bangladesh will be eager to finish their maiden Junior World Cup campaign on a high and return home with the Challenger Trophy.
