The Bhutanese football team is all set to compete in the inaugural FIFA World Series, a four-nation football tournament, which will be held at the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. The list of 23 players to represent the county in 2024 was also announced on Thursday. Preparations are ongoing at the Changlimithang Stadium.
The FIFA World Series 2024 makes its debut to promote worldwide football collaboration.
The friendly tournament is designed to improve the quality of football and to bring together teams from various continents. The inaugural event, hosted by Sri Lanka, will feature Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, and the Central African Republic.
According to the Bhutan Football Federation, the tournament will foster growth, solidarity, and genuine competition among member associations, thereby opening new opportunities for football development worldwide.
“Countries like Bhutan and the Central African Republic are countries which can never play each other. So, I think this was one of the main objectives where we can play countries from different continents, different confederations,” said Phuntsho Wangdi, the media spokesperson of the Bhutan Football Federation.
Bhutan will play the Central African Republic on the 22nd of March followed by a match against Sri Lanka on the 25th.
This will be the first time the national team plays against an African opponent.
Meanwhile, the national team will see five new faces this year. The 23-man squad was announced on Thursday. The squad consists of six players from Transport United FC, five from Paro FC, three from RTC FC, and the rest from the other clubs.
“We have now started our training for the FIFA friendly series. As you can see, the national team this year has a lot of new players. Most of the players in the team are young, but we have been playing together in clubs, so I think it is not very difficult,” said Chencho Gyeltshen, the Captain of the National Football Team.
The Bhutan Football Federation has introduced bonus payments for players if they can score goals, keep clean sheets, and if the team wins.
Tsheyang Tshogyal (Intern)
Edited by Sherub Dorji
