This year's football season gets underway Friday (Nov 22) with a novel play off for the 'Bangladesh 2.0 Challenge Cup' 2024-25.
The BPL and Federation Cup champions Bashundhara Kings will battle the Federation Cup runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan SC on Friday at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital.
The lone-match 90-minute Challenge Cup Football will kick-off at 5 pm. If the fate of the match is not decided in the scheduled time, then it proceeds to 30- minute extra session and later in the tie breaker.
The entire amount raised in ticket sales will be given to the July-August martyrs foundation.
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) introduced the Bangladesh 2.0 Challenge Cup as the season's curtain raiser football meet that dedicated to the July-August student's uprising in place of previous Independence Cup and Federation Cup Football.
Addressing the press conference at the Kings Arena ahead of the Thursday's match, the Kings Coach Valeriu Tita and Mohammedan's Coach Alfaz Ahmed expressed their optimism to win the one-match tournament.
The country's most prestigious 10-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football will kick-off on November 29 and the 10-team Federation Cup Football will begin on December 3 in a new format.
Meanwhile, the ceremonial draw of the upcoming Federation Cup Football Tournament 2024-25 was held at the BFF office on Wednesday putting Dhaka Mohammedan SC and Dhaka Abahani Ltd in the same group.
BPL and Federation Cup champions Bashundhara Kings put in Group A while Federation Cup runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan, Dhaka Abahani Ltd and Chattogram Abahani Ltd in Group B.
Grouping of Federation Cup Football are:
Group A -Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, Fortis FC, Brothers Union Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club
Group B - Mohammedan SC Ltd, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Chattagram Abahani Ltd, Rahmatganj MFS and Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club.
Ten premier division league clubs, split into two groups, will initially participate in the first phase of the Federation Cup Football on single league basis in three venues in Dhaka, Mymensingh and Cumilla.
Later, top two teams from each of the groups will play in the meet's next round (qualification and elimination) like the franchisee cricket league.