National Football Championship (Bangladesh)

The tournament was introduced in 1973 and was named after A. K. Fazlul Huq who was popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla. On 10 January 2020, the Bangladesh Football Federation decided to revive the National Championship after a gap of 13 years, celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Upon its resumption it was renamed as the Bangabandhu National Football Championship.[1]

As of 2021–22

Along with 64 districts football teams three service teams, six public universities, five education boards, and Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan will participate in the tournament. The participants districts have been divided in eight zones named Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Shitalakshya, Brahmaputra, Surma, Chitra and Buriganga. Each zone consists eight teams except Surma, which contains seven teams.[2] There will be knockout matches in every zone which will be played on home and away basis. In first round, a pair of teams of every zone will play each other which will decide four winners. In second round, that four winners in each zone will play zonal semifinal. In third round, the semi-final winners will face each other in zonal final. The champion from each zone will qualify for the final round.[3]

Teams representing education boards, universities & the services teams—a total of 15 teams—are divided in four groups in Sheba zone.[4] The teams of this zone will play on round-robin basis. Champion and runners-up of Sheba zone will join eight zonal champions in the final round.[5]