Cuba Raul Mitchell (; ; born 23 November 2005) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Barwell. Born in England, he represents the Bangladesh national team.
Early life Cuba was born on 23 November 2005, in Birmingham, England. He comes from a diverse background, with Jamaican ancestry on his father's side through his grandfather, whose parents emigrated from Jamaican, and Bangladeshi-Sylheti heritage from his mother.
Club career Early career Having begun his career with Birmingham City, Cuba joined Sunderland on an initial two-year scholarship deal in 2022. While still a regular for Sunderland's Under-18s during the 2022–23 season, Cuba made his debut for the Under-21s. After recovering from injury in 2023, he went on to make 16 appearances for the Under-21 side in the 2023–24 season. On 4 July 2024, he signed his first professional contract with the club. In June 2025, he was named in the released players list by Sunderland.
Bashundhara Kings
On 28 July 2025, Cuba joined Bangladesh Football League club Bashundhara Kings on a three-year deal. On 12 August 2025, he made his professional debut by coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 victory over Syrian side Al-Karamah in the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League preliminary stage.
On 3 January 2026, Cuba has announced that he had terminated his contract with the club due to outstanding salary payments.
Gloucester City In February 2026, Mitchell signed for Southern League Premier Division South club Gloucester City on a contract until the end of the 2025–26 season. On 28 February 2026, he made his debut starting against Poole Town in a 2–1 victory.
Stratford Town In June 2026, he signed for Southern League Premier Division Central club Stratford Town.
International career He can represent England, his country of birth, as well as the Bangladesh or Jamaica, through his parents.
On 19 April 2025, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) contacted him with an offer to play for the Bangladesh national team, with reports indicating that significant progress had been made in negotiations between the BFF and Cuba. A day earlier, senior football journalist Pete O'Rourke reported that Cuba had already pledged his allegiance to Bangladesh, following a social media post shared by his agents, Dominance Sports Group. Cuba received his Bangladeshi passport on 1 June, and on 3 June received FIFA approval to switch allegiance to Bangladesh.
Cuba was initially called up to the Bangladesh U23 for a training camp held in Bahrain in August 2025. However, he was unable to get clearance from Bashundhara Kings to attend the camp. He eventually represented the team at the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers held in Việt Trì, Vietnam, making appearances against the hosts, Vietnam U23, and Singapore U23, as Bangladesh failed to qualify for the main tournament.
On 9 November 2025, due to injuries to veterans Rahmat Mia and Mohammad Ibrahim, head coach, Javier Cabrera, called up Cuba as a late inclusion to the Bangladesh national team squad ahead of a friendly match against Nepal and a 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round match against India. On 13 November, Cuba made his senior international debut by coming on as a 80th-minute substitute for Hamza Choudhury in a 2–2 draw against Nepal.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueDomesticContinentalOther TotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals2022–23————002023–24————00————00Total————002025–26BFL6000200080Career total 6000200080
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBangladesh202510Total10
References
External links