Farhan Ali Wahid eager to turn Bangladesh hype into impact

Farhan Ali Wahid knows there will be plenty of eyes on him when he joins the Bangladesh camp in Indonesia, but the England-based forward is embracing the attention ahead of his first senior international assignment.

The 19-year-old, who is on loan at Boreham Wood from Premier League club Fulham, has received his first Bangladesh call-up for the FIFA ASEAN Cup after committing his international future to the country earlier this year.

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“It was amazing. It’s very exciting for me to represent my country, my ethnicity, my background,” Wahid told DAZN. “There’s a lot of support from the fans as well, and I’m really excited to start.”

That support has been hard to miss. Wahid has attracted a sizeable following among the Bangladeshi community, with fans regularly rallying behind him on social media as he makes his way through the English game.

“The amount of support that I’m getting is amazing. It’s surreal for me to have such a backing already,” he said. “It only encourages me to strive on and do good for my country.”

Wahid signed his first professional contract with Fulham in 2025 before joining National League side Boreham Wood on a season-long loan to gain senior experience.

He is now looking forward to taking that next step with Bangladesh, who begin their Group A campaign against Malaysia on September 25 before facing Singapore and Indonesia.

“I’m very excited to be joining the team in Indonesia and hopefully we can go and win,” he said.

Head coach Thomas Dooley, meanwhile, sees the forward as a potentially useful addition to a Bangladesh attack that has lacked a proven striker, particularly because of his finishing ability.

“What I love about this guy [Farhan Ali Wahid] is that he knows how to finish. That’s perfect,” Dooley said last week. 

“I really want to see him in front of the goal, making those moves and hitting the ball on target, what a lot of the players don’t do.”

Dooley also stressed that Wahid will not be expected to be the team's saviour from the outset, saying the youngster must first translate his ability to the international stage.

“We have not put him under too much pressure that he needs to be the saviour. I see him as a good, talented player. He has incredible skill. He has to bring it onto the field at the professional level. If he can do that, he will be a great asset for us.”