German football star Mesut Özil and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan visited Dhaka University on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. They arrived at 3 p.m. to inaugurate development activities at the university’s Shaheed Murtuza Medical Center. According to Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) leaders, the Turkish government’s development agency TIKA is supporting the project, which has already received about 27.5 million taka in assistance.

Özil arrived in Bangladesh on February 17 and is scheduled to attend an iftar program at a Rohingya camp before leaving the country the following night. Prior to the university event, he met Bilal Erdoğan at a hotel in Dhaka, and they later joined the inauguration together.

Some students expressed mixed reactions, saying the university administration did not formally announce Özil’s visit in advance. They learned about it only through social media posts shortly before the event, leaving many fans disappointed. Students urged the administration and DUCSU to ensure better communication and transparency for future visits by international figures.