BFF Delays New Season Due to Registration Issues

The Bangladesh Football Federation has been forced into another reshuffle of the domestic calendar, with player registration problems at three heavyweight clubs holding the entire league to ransom.

Bashundhara Kings, Abahani and Young Men's Fakirerpool Club have still not managed to lift their FIFA-imposed player registration bans, despite several extensions to the deadline. The knock-on effect is brutal: the start of the 2026-27 Bangladesh Football League is pushed back once more.

BFF has now set 3 September 2026 as the final cut-off for all participating clubs to complete their first-phase player registration for the new league campaign. Miss that, and you are out of step with the entire season.

The calendar has shifted around that new date. The domestic season, initially slated to kick off on 25 August, will now begin on 18 September. The Federation Cup, which was supposed to open proceedings on 28 August, has also been nudged back and is now scheduled to start on 22 September.

Cup football will be spread across the country. Matches are set for Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gopalganj and the National Stadium in Dhaka, turning the competition into an early-season roadshow before the league settles into its usual rhythm.

The international game slices into the schedule as well. With the FIFA window running from 21 September to 6 October, BFF has ordered the national team camp to open on 27 August, locking in preparation time before players are pulled into competitive action for club and country.

Then comes another wrinkle: Fortis FC’s continental journey. Their participation in the AFC Challenge League adds a fresh break to an already fragmented calendar. The group stage of that tournament will be staged in Kuwait from 17 to 23 October, pulling Fortis out of domestic duty for a key stretch.

BFF’s solution is clear. Any Bangladesh Football League and Federation Cup fixtures involving Fortis will be played only after the completion of the first phase of the league, effectively ring-fencing their schedule around the AFC commitment.

The message is blunt for everyone else: fix the bans, finish the registrations, or watch another season stumble before a ball is properly kicked.