Football is one of the most popular sports in Bangladesh, introduced during the late 19th century under British rule, with Dhaka playing a central role in its development. The Bangladesh Football Federation was founded in 1972, a year after the country’s independence. The national team made its official debut at the 1973 Merdeka Cup in Malaysia. Domestic football resumed the same year with the Dhaka First Division League, which had existed since before the partition of India and attracted internationally renowned players like Nasser Hejazi and Emeka Ezeugo. Professional football was introduced in 2007 with the Bangladesh Football League, known formerly as the B.League.
History Birth of Bengali football (1895–1946) Early years Football in Bengal was introduced during the British Raj and gained popularity in the 19th century through Western-style educational institutions in Calcutta and Dhaka. Players from Eastern Bengal, particularly from regions such as Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Khulna, soon began featuring in matches at the Calcutta Maidan. Although the Calcutta League, established in 1898, was largely dominated by players from West Bengal, several East Bengali footballers made significant contributions, including Tejas Shome from Kishoreganj and Shibdas Bhaduri from Barisal. A landmark moment came in 1911, when Mohun Bagan AC won the IFA Shield with eight players from East Bengal in the squad. The influence of East Bengal continued to grow with the founding of East Bengal in 1920, which began competing in the Calcutta First Division in 1925. This was followed by the entry of Calcutta Mohammedan into the First Division in 1933, led by Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury from Feni.
In the late 19th century, several football clubs were established in Dhaka, and this club culture gradually spread to other parts of East Bengal, including Chittagong, Mymensingh, and Tajhat. The first football club in East Bengal, Wari Club, was founded in 1898 by Rai Bahadur Surendranath Rai. The club practiced at the Paltan Maidan in Dhaka and achieved some success in the IFA Shield by sending teams to various districts of West Bengal. In 1903, Victoria Sporting Club was established by five prominent zamindar families of Dhaka, named in honor of Queen Victoria. Beyond Dhaka, clubs like Tajhat Football Club in Rangpur, founded in 1905, and Mymensingh Mohammedan, reportedly founded in the same year as Wari in 1898, contributed to the growing football culture.
The Dhaka Sports Association (DSA) was established in 1895 as the apex body controlling sports in Dhaka. The DSA had started the Dhaka Football League by at least 1911. Notable teams participating in the First Division included Dacca Farm (champions in 1936 and 1937), Wari Club, Victoria SC, Dhaka Hall, Medical College, and Jagannath College. The introduction of a Second Division and Third Division allowed clubs like Dhaka Mohammedan and Dhaka Wanderers, both supported by members of the Nawab of Dhaka, to make their mark in Dhaka football. In addition to football in the capital, the Kumudini Cup was introduced in Rajshahi, while the Ronaldshay Shield was played in both Dhaka and Chittagong starting in the 1920s. Inter-school and college football tournaments also gained popularity during that time.
Mymensingh also played a huge role in the development of the game in East Bengal, with the simultaneous introduction of the Surya Kanta Shield and the Lila Devi Shield in 1914, both initially sponsored by the Muktagacha dynasty. The Lila Devi Shield, famously known as a 4-foot-8-inch trophy, was an event particularly popular among school-goers, while the Surya Kanta Shield saw clubs from Dhaka, Calcutta, and Karachi participate, with Mohun Bagan notably winning the title in 1920. The Coutts Cup, held in Dhaka in the 1910s, was another popular inter-school football tournament for boys whose height did not exceed 4 feet 9 inches.
Growth and affiliation with AIFF
In the early 20th century, the Dhaka First Division League gained nationwide attention, with clubs such as Victoria SC, Wari Club, and Dacca Farm at the forefront of its growth. Notably, the 1927 season featured the"Football Magician", Syed Abdus Samad, representing Victoria SC, further highlighting the league's development. In 1929, Dhaka University defeated Calcutta University in the final of the inaugural Sir Sultan Ahmed Shield Inter-University Football Tournament, held in Patna, Bihar. The match was decided by a lone goal scored by Romizuddin Ahmed.
In November 1937, Islington Corinthians from Britain visited Dhaka as part of their tour of India. On 21 November, they played against the DSA XI and suffered the tour's first defeat. The DSA team included players from Dhaka Hall and Wari Club, and the game's only goal was scored by Pakhi Sen, from Mymensingh. While departing Dhaka, the opposition admitted to their defeat, stating, "I heard a lot about the Bengal tiger! This time I saw it!"
The Corinthians also played exhibition matches in Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Comilla, Chittagong and Rajshahi, winning at all frontiers, one after another. The match at Chittagong had an official record attendance, with 77,000 people watching the game.
Following the foundation of the All India Football Federation in 1937, the DSA was one of the proposers of a national interstate football championship in India. The football competition was introduced on 27 January 1941 at the Bombay General Assembly, as the Santosh Trophy. The Dacca football team which became the provincial member under Dacca Sporting Association in 1938, participated in the tournament in 1944–45 and 1945–46 editions without finding much success.
Post-partition football (1947–1970)
Following the Partition of India in 1947, East Bengal became part of Pakistan and began competing in the annual National Football Championship, which later became the country's highest-level football competition. In 1951, the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF) merged with the East Pakistan Sports Association (EPSA), formerly known as the DSA, to become the province's primary sports body, with Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury as its president. The province hosted the National Championship five times. In 1957 and 1959, the East Pakistan team finished as runners-up, and in 1960, East Pakistan secured its maiden title in Karachi. After this success, the EPSF introduced divisional teams from Dacca, Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi, with Dacca winning back-to-back titles in 1961–62 and 1962, while Chittagong triumphed in 1969–70. The EPSF also fielded strong Combined University teams, which also participated in the National Youth Football Championship.
Football leagues in Dacca, Chittagong, and Khulna were the most active in East Pakistan, shaping teams for the National Championship. In Dacca, the First and Second Division leagues resumed a year after Partition, followed by the Third Division. Victoria SC won the inaugural First Division season, but Dhaka Wanderers dominated the 1950s. The league also attracted top players from other East Pakistani districts such as Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna. The Independence Day Football Tournament was the province's top domestic cup, with its final played annually on August 14. In 1958, Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini (Aga Khan IV), with the EPSF and AFC, launched the Aga Khan Gold Cup as an unofficial AFC Champions League, bringing top Asian clubs to Dacca. Dhaka Mohammedan won it in 1959 and soon dominated domestic football. The 1960s saw clubs like Victoria SC and Dhaka Mohammedan recruit West Pakistani players, especially of Makrani descent.
With Dacca's football scene dominated by West Pakistani players, the EPSF introduced regulations limiting clubs to a maximum of five non-Bengali players per league game. Clubs like Azad SC, Rahmatganj MFS, and Police AC prioritized Bengali players, yet over the two decades following Pakistan's creation, only 24 Bengalis represented the national team. The highlight came at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games, where Pakistan was captained by Nabi Chowdhury from Feni, and featured five other Bengali players. Besides the National Championship, the East Pakistan football team also played unofficial international matches, including a heavy 1–11 defeat to China on 24 January 1963 in Dacca. In 1961, they faced Burma in two warm-up matches in Dacca and Chittagong, suffering similarly lopsided losses. On 9 June 1963, the East Pakistan Sports Federation XI played an exhibition match against Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf, who had an unplanned stay in Pakistan due to aircraft issues. The match at Dhaka Stadium ended in a 1–4 defeat for the hosts. The team won their maiden international trophy in 1970, the King Mahendra Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Post-independence era (1971–2006) Peak of popularity During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the Shadhin Bangla football team was formed by the Bangladesh Sports Association under the Provisional Government, playing 16 friendly matches across India and raising Tk 16.33 lakh for the war effort. After Bangladesh's victory on 16 December 1971, the first football match in independent Bangladesh took place on 13 February 1972 at Dhaka Stadium, where President's XI defeated Bangladesh XI 2–0. Mohun Bagan became the first foreign club to visit, playing two exhibition matches on 11 and 13 May 1972, defeating Mohammedan 1–0 but losing 1–0 to Dhaka XI before 35,000 spectators. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was founded on 15 July 1972 by former Minister Md.Yousuf Ali, affiliating with AFC in 1973 and FIFA in 1976. Before affiliation, Dhaka XI toured India from August to November 1972, finishing runners-up in the Bordoloi Trophy, and played two home exhibition matches against East Bengal in November. Eventually, the Bangladesh national team made their international debut at the 1973 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia.
On 5 November 1973, Dinamo Minsk from the Soviet Union arrived in Dhaka for four exhibition matches. They faced Dhaka XI on 6 November, followed by dominant wins against Comilla XI (7–0 on 9 November), Jessore XI (9–0 on 11 November), and Dhaka Metropolis XI (3–0 on 14 November). Although domestic football resumed in 1972, both the First Division and Second Division, were abandoned after a few games. In 1972, Mohammedan defeated East End Club in the Independence Cup final, notably this was the first football tournament in independent Bangladesh. BJMC won the First Division in 1973, and would dominate domestic football that decade alongside Mohammedan and the newly formed Abahani Krira Chakra, the latter being formed and funded by Sheikh Kamal. Since their first clash in 1973, the Dhaka derby between Abahani and Mohammedan grew into the biggest fixture in domestic football, fueled by their massive nationwide fan bases and violent clashes.
The Aga Khan Gold Cup resumed in 1976 but never regained its past success. In its final edition in 1981–82, Brothers Union won jointly with Bangkok Bank, becoming the only local club to claim the title post-independence. In 1985, the AFC relaunched the Asian Club Championship, with Abahani debuting as 1984 league champions, finishing Central Asian Zone runners-up behind East Bengal. Despite Abahani's league hat-trick (1983–85), the era is considered Mohammedan's golden years, as they also secured a hat-trick of league titles (1986, 1987, 1988–89) and remained unbeaten in 76 league games from 8 September 1985 to 15 March 1990. Under coach Nasser Hejazi, they achieved continental success, reaching the 1988–89 Asian Club Championship semi-final group round, while defeating Iran's Persepolis and North Korea's April 25, and also advancing to the quarter-final group stage in both the 1990–91 and 1991 editions. From 1980, the Federation Cup would become the main domestic cup tournament of Bangladesh. The Pioneer League was introduced in 1981, as fourth-tier of domestic football.