Bangladesh have set their sights on reaching the finals of the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup as the qualifying rounds kick off across seven venues on November 22, with the boys in red and green placed in a challenging Group A in China.

Seven group champions will secure places in the 16-team finals, joining hosts Saudi Arabia and eight other nations who have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Bangladesh, drawn this time with strong opponents China, Bahrain, Brunei, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste, have failed to reach the final round in the last nine editions since their breakthrough qualification in 2006.

Over the last 19 years, the U-17s' best performances have been group runners-up finishes in 2017 and 2022. On both occasions, they came close to advancing as one of the six best runners-up but ultimately fell short.

Under the guidance of head coach Golam Rabbani Choton, the squad have trained for the past four months at the Shams Ul Huda Football Academy with 40 players. They also took part in two tournaments -- the SAFF U-17 Championship and an invitational competition in China -- finishing runners-up in both.

Buoyed by that preparation, Choton has targeted qualification by maintaining consistency throughout the group stage.

"I think the boys have improved since the SAFF U-17 Championship and the tournament in China. We worked very hard on finishing -- an area where we previously struggled -- as well as set-pieces and defending," Choton said at a press briefing at the BFF House on Sunday.

"If the boys can give their maximum in a disciplined way, I believe we can qualify for the finals," he added.

Captain Nazmul Huda Faisal, who featured in the 2022 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers, is equally upbeat.

"We always tried to reach the final round but fell short in some areas. This time we will give our absolute best to qualify," Faisal said. "China and Bahrain are our main contenders, but our strength is teamwork. I believe we are ready to give our best in all five matches."

The squad is scheduled to fly to China on Tuesday morning and will begin their campaign against Timor-Leste on November 22.