The wait is over. As the year comes to an end, good news has finally arrived: Hamza Choudhury has received FIFA’s approval to represent Bangladesh. After Sabina Khatun and her team successfully defended their SAFF Championship title, securing the Leicester City star is a major achievement for Bangladeshi football in the closing days of the year.
However, the story on the pitch for Jamal Bhuiyan and the men’s national team has been far less inspiring. Out of eight international matches, they managed just two wins—against Bhutan and the Maldives—while suffering six losses. Four of those defeats came in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the hands of Palestine (twice), Australia, and Lebanon, while the other two losses were to Bhutan and the Maldives. The painful memory of their first loss to Bhutan in 2016 resurfaced after eight years. In contrast, the women’s national team had a much better year, with five wins, one draw, and two losses from eight matches. Rituporna Chakma was named the best player of the SAFF Championship.
In age-group football, the outgoing year saw three championships come Bangladesh’s way. The first was the SAFF U-16 Women’s Championship, followed by the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship, which was shared with India. Mosammat Sagrika stood out as the best player of the U-20 tournament. On the men’s side, Bangladesh’s U-20 team became champions in their category for the first time.
Off the field, a significant change took place. One of the most talked-about events of the year was the departure of Kazi Salahuddin from the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). Despite initially announcing his candidacy for a fifth term as president in the October 26 BFF elections, he eventually stepped aside amid widespread criticism. This marked the end of his 16-year tenure, which was filled with both achievements and controversies. Senior Vice President Salam Murshedy and Vice President Kazi Nabil also stepped down. Former footballer Tabith Awal took charge as the new BFF president, ushering in a “new BFF.”
Following the political shift in the country on August 5, some sponsors withdrew their support, leading to clubs like Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel opting out of forming teams for the domestic league. Before the upheaval, Bashundhara Kings set a record by winning the professional league for the fifth consecutive time in May. They capped off their season with a treble, clinching the league title, the Federation Cup, and the Independence Cup.
