Ninth-tier English striker earns Bangladesh call-up for South Asian Championship

Bangladesh have handed 18-year-old striker Mohammed Mahe Khan a senior international call-up despite his playing in the ninth tier of English football. According to talkSPORT, Khan has been selected for Bangladesh’s squad for the 2026 South Asian Championship after scoring nine goals in seven appearances for Moulton in the South Premier Division this season.

Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley, a former United States captain at the 1998 World Cup, acknowledged the risk involved in selecting the teenager before assessing him in training. “We are going to take a young player, Mahe Khan. We will have a look at him in camp,” Dooley said.

“Selecting him now is almost like leaving it to chance.”We believe he might be able to do the job we need. That’s the situation at the moment.” The tournament will run from November 5 to 17 in Dhaka, with six national teams competing. Bangladesh, champions in 2003, will hope Khan’s goalscoring form can strengthen their bid for a second title on home soil.