The Bangladesh Football Federation confirmed on Saturday that the Independence Cup will feature 16 teams and run across four venues after the league season, following decisions taken at the Professional League Management Committee meeting.
The meeting also set the wider competitive frame. Bangladesh Champions League 2025-26 will start on 25 January, with player registration already closed, and the competition will again use three venues.
Attention then shifted to the Independence Cup. The federation plans to stage it after the league, with a proposed window from 5 May to 23 May, restoring a tournament last seen in the 2023 calendar year.
The format carries intent. Alongside the 10 Bangladesh Football League clubs, the federation will invite Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force, plus the BCL champions and runners-up and the Bangladesh National Championship winners.
That creates a 16-team field spread across four venues. The idea stays simple: widen competition, reward performance and give the calendar competitive edge after the league grind.
League committee Chairman Imrul Hasan outlined the decisions and the thinking behind them. “We took several decisions and I am sharing the summary. The Independence Cup will take place after the league. We will invite services teams, the BCL finalists and the National Championship winners. With these 16 teams, the Independence Cup will be held at four venues.” The clarity matters because the competition needed firm ground.
Questions followed about fixture congestion and the Singapore window gap. Journalists asked whether clubs pushed for rescheduling and whether the cup would definitely go ahead after previous uncertainty around the Super Cup.
Imrul addressed both points directly. “We are one hundred per cent optimistic about holding the Independence Cup on time,” he said. “Regarding fixtures, only Mohammedan Sporting Club requested a delay after elections. If we push the league by even a few days, it will end around 4 or 5 May. That forces clubs to pay a full extra month of foreign players’ wages. That becomes an extra burden for many clubs.” The argument leaned on economics rather than convenience.
He added a conciliatory note without changing course. “We will speak verbally with Mohammedan and try to explain,” he said. “But our collective view is that the current fixture list suits all clubs best.” It sounded firm, and the logic stacked up.
The Independence Cup carries history and weight. Founded in 1972 and run by the Bangladesh Football Federation, it has crowned seven different champions, with Mohammedan the most successful and Abahani the current holders from the 2021–22 season.
By confirming 16 teams and four venues, the federation closed the door on doubt. The Independence Cup now looks set to return with scale, context and a calendar that finally makes sense.
