Bashundhara Kings clinched the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Bangladesh 2.0 Challenge Cup Football 2024-25,  beating Dhaka Mohammedan SC by 3-1 goals at the Basundhara Kings Arena here on Friday. Adviser for Youth and Sports Ministry Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan was the chief guest in the match and distributed the prizes. Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) introduced the Bangladesh 2.0 Challenge Cup as the season's curtain raiser football meet that was dedicated to the July-August student's uprising. The entire amount raised in ticket sales will be given to the July-August Martyrs Foundation. This was the first victory for the Kings’ Romanian Coach Valeriu Tita after conceding three successive defeats in international matches. In the day's lone match tournament, Captain Souleymane Diabate put the Federation Cup runners-up Mohammedan SC ahead in the 7th minute and dominated the first half by 1-0 goals. The BPL and Federation Cup champions Kings took control of the match in the 2nd half and won the match comfortably scoring three goals in a row. Defender Topu Barman leveled the margin for the Kings in the 74th minute by placing a shot from the danger zone, utilizing a corner of Brazilian midfielder Miguel Damasceno (1-1). Federation Cup champions  Bashundhara Kings took the lead from behind in the 81st minute when Foysal Ahmed Fahim scored the 2nd goal by brilliant shot, off a Miguel Damasceno cross (2-1). The Bhutanese referee gave 18 minutes additional time as the match was stopped for about ten minutes. Antigua Test: Bangladesh opt to bowl first Kings captain Miguel Damasceno, who played a vital role in the team's first two goals, finally sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal in the 7th minute of the additional time (90+9 minute). 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.  

The local football season 2024-25, which was schedule to start on October 11 through Challenge Cup Football, has been deferred by one and half month due to venue crisis and other prevailing circumstances. The local football season will now begin in the last week of November this year. The decision was taken at an online emergency meeting of the BFF Professional League Management Committee held Tuesday afternoon. The meeting, which was earlier scheduled for last Saturday, was cancelled in the dying moment due to heavy downpour in the capital. The day’s meeting decided to start the local football season under new standing committee to be formed after the upcoming BFF election on October 26. Read: Man City and Premier League claim a win after challenge of league's financial fairness rules League committee chairman and vice president of Bangladesh football federation Imrul Hasan said, “We need at-least five venues for the 10-team premier league, now we have only two available venues –Bashundhara Kings and Rafiquddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh.”  The other proposed venues in Cumilla, Munshiganj, Gazipur and Manikganj are not ready till date. “So, we decided to defer the league till last week of November, as all the match venues are not ready and as well as for the appeal of the participating teams and reviewing the existing situation”. Read more: Bangladesh Football Federation election on October 26 Earlier, the local football season due to start with Challenge Cup Football from October 11 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, Federation Cup Football due to kick-off on October 15 and the Football League scheduled to begin on October 18.