[7] After gaining independence from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, a de facto national team called Dhaka XI was active the following year.

The team won a highly anticipated friendly against Mohun Bagan on home soil and also finished runners-up at India's Bordoloi Trophy.

[11] In July 1973, Malaysia invited Bangladesh to take part in the Merdeka Cup, along with Pintoo the first national team consisted of: Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, Abdul Motaleb, Monwar Hossain Nannu, Dilip Barua, Nazir Ahmed, Firoj Kabir, Farukuzzaman, Abdul Hakim, Sharifuzzaman, Md Kaikobad, Enayetur Rahman, Kazi Salahuddin, Pratap Shankar Hazra, Sheikh Ashraf Ali, Sunil Krishna and Nowsher.

[14] On 13 August 1973, after concluding their journey in Malaysia the team played a friendly in Singapore, and earned their first ever win by defeating the hosts 1–0, thanks to a goal from Nowsher.

However, fearing a FIFA ban the team was obliged to play their game with South Korea, making a symbolic protest by keeping the Bangladesh flag at half-mast and wearing a black badge, as they lost 0–4.

The 1980 AFC Asian Cup was held in September in Kuwait, and Bangladesh were grouped with defending champions Iran as well as North Korea, Syria and China.

[19] Bangladesh continued their continental exploits, as a goal from Badal Roy against Malaysia at the 1982 Asian Games, gave the team their first ever win in Asia's biggest stage at the time.

The game was held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium, and the under-pressure home team had overturned a single goal deficit through Kaiser Hamid and Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu.

The team cruised through the group-stages, claiming their biggest ever win in an 8–0 thrashing of Maldives along the way, but luck was not on their side, losing to India on penalties in the final.

Iranian legend Nasser Hejazi took charge of Bangladesh at the 1989 South Asian Games, and dropped experienced players (Sheikh Aslam, Wasim Iqbal and Md Mohsin) from the squad.

After an error-prone team lost the final to Pakistan, the Mohammedan coach Hejazi was accused of having a bias against selecting players from rival club, Abahani.

The year 1996 saw Bangladesh being ranked 110 by FIFA, however, they failed to add to their success, finishing runner-up at the 1995 South Asian Games and 1999 SAFF Gold Cup.

[25] It was at the 1999 South Asian Games where the Bangladesh team coached by Samir Shaker ended their 19-year wait for a gold medal, defeating hosts Nepal in the final.

[26][27] On 12 January 2001, a historic moment occurred for the Bangladesh team, as they played their first match against a European nation, when they took on Bosnia & Herzegovina during the Sahara Cup and lost 2–0.

On 18 March 2001, Firoj Mahmud Titu became the first Bangladeshi player to score against European opposition, as Bangladesh suffered a 4–1 defeat at the hands of FR Yugoslavia during the same competition.

[31] Hosts Bangladesh started off the tournament by winning their opening game against Nepal (1–0), with Alfaz Ahmed scoring the only goal, 30 minutes into the match.

Bangladesh avenged their defeat from four years earlier by overcoming India 2–1, owing to a Golden goal by Motiur Munna and thus progressing to their second consecutive SAFF Championship final.

It was another devastating qualifying campaign for Bangladesh, a defeat at the hands of Laos and a draw against Hong Kong, concluded their Asian Cup qualification hopes.

[36][37] From December 2005, Bangladesh began their 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign, winning only a single game in the process, before once again failing to reach the main phase of the competition.

[49] The deterioration in results over the following decade and more saw a massive decline in popularity of the country's football among fans, in both domestic and international stage.

[54] In March 2016, Bangladesh ended their 2018 World Cup Qualifying run with an 8–0 defeat at the hands of a Jordan team managed by Harry Redknapp.

[55] On 29 June 2016, the BFF appointed Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, initially on a short-term contract, to guide the national team during the AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualification playoff round 2 matches against Bhutan.

[58] Although the team disappointed during the 2018 SAFF Championship, Bangladesh advanced to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers – AFC second round by defeating Laos 1–0 on aggregate.

The Bangladesh national football team plays in bottle green shirts and dark red shorts embedded.

After half a decade without a sponsor, India's TVS Motor Company tied up with the Bangladesh national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round, in a deal which lasted for two years (2019–2021).

In 2021, as the Bangladesh team was using the same kit for almost 5 years, the federation decided to hold a jersey designing contest for the 2021 SAFF Championship.

As a consequence, the National Stadium in Dhaka remains largely unoccupied during both domestic and international fixtures, with average attendance, even falling short of 10,000.

[81] Outside the capital, both domestic and international football's popularity remains unwavering, with games in Sylhet and Jessore, drawing tons of fans.

The same year at the Shamsul Huda Stadium in Jessore, which has a capacity of 12,000 was filled with more than 30,000 viewers during a friendly match against Sri Lanka, which finished 1–1.

Win Draw Loss Fixture The following 38 players were included in the preliminary squad for two 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round match against  India on 25 March 2025.