Palestine up first for hosts

Hosts Bangladesh will square off against defending champions Palestine in the opening match of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup on January 15, according to the fixtures released yesterday.

Bangladesh will play their second and final group match on January 19 against Sri Lanka, who will play their first match against Palestine on January 17.

In Group B matches, Mauritius will take on Burundi on January 16 before playing their last group match on January 20 against Seychelles, who will square off against Burundi in their first match on January 18.

The first semifinal between Group A champions and Group B runners-up will take place on January 22 while Group B champions and Group A runners-up will play the second semifinal on the following day.

The final of the sixth edition of the tournament will take place on January 25. All matches will kick off at 5:00pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Meanwhile, the national team players, except for seven Bashundhara Kings and captain Jamal Bhuiyan, reported to manger Satyajit Das Rupu yesterday for training camp, which will start today at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium. Head coach Jamie Day is scheduled to return to Dhaka while Jamal is expected to join the camp tomorrow.