The Bangladesh Football Federation () the governing body for association football in Bangladesh. Established in 1972 following the country's independence, the federation is responsible for managing the men's national team and women's national teams, as well as the management of domestic professional and amateur competitions, including the Bangladesh Football League.
The BFF became a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1974, and two years later, they became a member of FIFA in 1976. BFF is also a founding member of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Headquartered at the BFF Bhaban in Motijheel, Dhaka, the federation governs all aspects of the sport, from grassroots development to international representation, and is currently led by President Tabith Awal.
History
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was officially founded on 15 July 1972. Md. Yousuf Ali, the former Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs, established the federation; he also served as its first president. The general secretary under Ali was Abul Hashem of Wari Club. The BFF quickly sought international legitimacy, gaining membership in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1974, and becoming a member of FIFA in 1976. It later became one of the founding members of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) in 1997.
Through the FIFA Goal Project, the federation secured the necessary resources to construct a dedicated headquarters. On 10 April 2005, AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam inaugurated the BFF Bhaban, the Federation's FIFA-financed office in Motijheel, Dhaka.
International football In 1973, the federation sent the first national team to the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia. In 1978, Dhaka hosted the 1978 AFC Youth Championship, the first major football tournament to take place in the country. In 1980, Bangladesh made its first and only appearance to date in the AFC Asian Cup. The nation's best results came at South Asian level where it won the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup and were gold medalists at the 1999 South Asian Games. Under the federation's management, the Bangladesh women's national team won the SAFF Women's Championship in 2022 and 2024, marking a shift in the federation's focus toward gender inclusivity and grassroots development.
Domestic football The BFF immediately took over the Dhaka Football League, which had existed since at least 1911, from the EPSF. In 1993, the federation restructured the domestic football pyramid by creating the Dhaka Premier Division League as the top-tier competition, replacing the old First Division, which in turn became the second-tier. It inaugurated the Independence Cup in 1972, which became the first football competition held after the independence of Bangladesh.
From 1975 to 1982, the BFF operated the Aga Khan Gold Cup, an invitational club cup competition, often regarded as the predecessor of the AFC Champions League. It was shut down following the introduction of the President's Gold Cup in 1981, which was also replaced by the Bangabandhu Cup in 1996.
The BFF launched the Federation Cup in 1980, a knockout club cup tournament that grew to be the country's top national cup competition.
By the early 2000s, the BFF faced growing pressure from AFC to modernize its league structure, which was largely centered around Dhaka clubs. In response to the AFC's Vision Asia initiative, the federation began to change the process of transitioning from a regional amateur setup to a national system. It first introduced the National League in 2000, which, although it functioned outside the domestic league pyramid, granted clubs eligibility to participate in AFC club competitions, a right that the Premier Division clubs of the Dhaka Football League lost following the turn of the century.
The transition concluded in 2007 with the launch of the B. League, currently the Bangladesh Football League, which replaced the old Dhaka-focused league with a professional national competition. In 2012, the BFF launched the second-tier professional national league, the Bangladesh Championship League, which saw the regional Dhaka Football League make up the third, fourth, and fifth tiers of the country's football league pyramid.
In 2009, it launched the Super Cup tournament, with a prize money of Tk1 million. In 2013, the prize money for winning the competition was Tk10 million. In the inaugural competition, Mohammedan SC beat arch-rivals Abahani Limited Dhaka.
Criticism FIFA Suspension (2002) On 26 November 2001, Sultan, a member of the BNP-led coalition government, was appointed as BFF president, replacing AM Azizul Haque, who had been initially elected by the previous Caretaker government. On 20 December 2001, Sultan replaced the elected body of the BFF, which was led by general secretary, Harunur Rashid, with an ad-hoc committee. On 10 January 2002, FIFA banned the BFF for violating FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) laws that only recognize a democratically elected committee to run a member's football authority. The ban was lifted on 11 February 2002, after the original elected committee was reinstated. Eventually, Rashid resigned, allegedly forced by Sultan, who remained in the president's seat after being unopposed in the 26 April 2003 BFF elections.
FIFA sanctions (2023–2024) On 14 April 2023, FIFA issued a two-year ban to the BFF general secretary, Abu Nayeem Shohag. A FIFA report revealed that Shohag had made quotations and unauthorized signatures to facilitate payments for items such as footballs, grass-cutting machinery, and air travel for the national team. He was found guilty of breaching several provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics, also regarding the duty of loyalty, and general duties.
The investigation was expanded in May 2024, leading to more sanctions against four other high-ranking officials. Former chief financial officer Abu Hossain and Operations Manager Mizanur Rahman each received two-year bans and fines for their involvement in transactions supported by falsified documents. Abdus Salam Murshedy, the senior vice-president and chairman of the finance committee, was also fined for administrative carelessness and failing to provide proper financial reports, while procurement officer Imrul Hasan Sharif received a warning and was ordered to undergo compliance training.
Executive Committee Board Board of directors
NamePositionSource Tabith AwalPresident Imrul HasanSenior Vice-president Nasser Shahrear2nd Vice-president Wahid Happy 3rd Vice-president Sabbir Ahmed Arif4th Vice-president Fahad Karim5th Vice-president Imran Hossain TusharGeneral Secretary Saiful BariTechnical Director Thomas DooleyTeam Coach (Men's) Gerard JonesHead Youth & Development Coach (Men's), U20 Men's Head Coach Peter ButlerTeam Coach (Women's)
Presidents PresidentTook officeLeft officeRefMuhammad Yusuf Ali19721973Gazi Golam Mostafa19731976Mir Shawkat Ali19761978Siddique Ahmed19781980Abdur Raquib Khandaker19801986 Harun Ahmed Chowdhury19861986Hafizuddin Ahmed19861989Mahmudul Hasan19891992Oli Ahmad19921994Mohammad Hanif19962001AM Azizul Haque20012001SA Sultan20012008Kazi Salahuddin20082024Tabith Awal2024Present
Technical director PresidentTook officeLeft officeRefShahidur Rahman20082010Bayazid Alam Zubair Nipu20102015Paul Smalley20162019Stuart Watkiss20202020Paul Smalley20202023Saiful Bari2024Present
Competitions Men's club competitions
Competitions currently run by BFF: Competition First season Current champion Remarks Bangladesh Football League 2007 Mohammedan SCThe country's top-tier football league. Federation Cup 1980 Bashundhara Kings The country's top-tier leagues cup competition. Independence Cup1972 Bashundhara Kings The country's national cup competition.Challenge Cup2024Bashundhara KingsThe country's super cup competition. Bangladesh Championship League 2012 PWD SC The country's 2nd tier football league. Senior Division League 2007 Jatrabari KC The country's 3rd tier football league. Second Division League1948Saif SC Youth TeamThe country's 4th tier football league. Third Division League1948Chawkbazar KingsThe country's 5th tier football league. Pioneer Football League1981 Barishal Football Academy The country's 6th tier football league. BFF U-18 Football Tournament2014NoFeL Sporting Club U-18The country's U-18 club football tournament. BFF U-18 Football League2021–22Sheikh Jamal DC U-18The country's top tier U-18 football league. BFF U-16 Football Tournament2021–22Kawran Bazar PS U-16 The country's U-16 football tournament.
Other competitions
Competitions currently run by BFF: Competition First season Current Champion Remarks Bangabandhu Cup1996–97 Palestine International football tournament. Bangamata U-19 Women's International Gold Cup2019 Bangladesh & Laos International U-19 Women's football tournament. Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup2015Terengganu F.C.International clubs football tournament. Sheikh Russel U-18 Gold Cup2021–22Wari Thana The country's Metropolis Thanas football competition National Football Championship1973Bangladesh ArmyDistrict and institutional cup tournament. Bangladesh Women's Football League2011Rajshahi Stars FCThe country's women's professional clubs football league. Men's Futsal League Bangladesh 2025–26TBD The first men's premier professional futsal league in Bangladesh. Women's Futsal League Bangladesh 2025–26TBD The first women's premier professional futsal league in Bangladesh.
Defunct
Competitions previously run by BFF: Competition First season Last season Last Champion Remarks Aga Khan Cup 1958 1981–82 Bangkok Bank F.C. and Brothers Union[Shared after 1–1 draw] Continental club competition last held in 1982. President's Gold Cup 1981 1993Petrolul PloieștiInternational football tournament. First Division League19481992Rahmatganj MFS1st tier semi-professional football league last held as top level in 1992. First Division League (second level)19932004–05Rahmatganj MFS2nd tier semi-professional football league last held in 2005. National Football League20002006Mohammedan SCThe country's first semi-professional national league last held in 2006.Super Cup 2009 2013 Mohammedan SCThe country's highest budgeted cup football competition.
Stadiums
National Stadium, Dhaka BSSS Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Dhaka District Stadium, Chattogram Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet Shamsul Huda Stadium' Jessore Rajshahi District Stadium, Rajshahi Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium, Rajshahi Gopalganj Old Stadium, Gopalgonj Shaheed Salam Stadium, Feni Mymensingh Stadium, Mymensingh Shaheed Dhirendranath Stadium, Comilla Shaheed Bulu Stadium, Noakhali Nilphamari International Stadium, Nilphamari Bangladesh Army Stadium, Dhaka Munshigonj Stadium, Munshiganj Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master Stadium, Gazipur Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka
Official partners Between 2000 and 2005, Nitol–Tata, the sole distributor of Tata vehicles in Bangladesh, served as the primary sponsor of the BFF's national league. In April 2008, the BFF signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the mobile phone operator Citycell, valued at BDT 165 million (approximately US$2.28 million), which was reported as the largest sponsorship deal in Bangladeshi football at the time.
In 2010, the federation entered into a multi-year agreement with Grameenphone to sponsor several domestic competitions, including the Super Cup. Following the conclusion of that deal, Nitol–Tata returned as sponsor for the 2013–14 season under a one-year agreement valued at US$70,000.
On 20 November 2018, Dhaka Bank signed a football sponsorship deal with the BFF in support of women's football development and age-level programs..
On 13 March 2022, the BFF signed a two-year agreement with the brand Pusti to serve as the federation's official beverage partner.