Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) aiming to start the 2023-2024 season from October 27 with the Independence Cup while the inter-club players’ registration have already been started from August 1.
The players’ registrations window for the both local and the foreign booters will be closed on October 18.
Though the domestic competition will start from October 27, before that Bangladesh national team and the club team will play international matches with FIFA friendly. The schedule for the first match for the FIFA friendly likely in the first week of September and the probable opponents will be Afghanistan.
Following the FIFA friendlies, Bangladesh national team also set to play their FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 match against Maldives on October 12 and home match on October 17. But the club teams will play their international matches from second week of this month when Bangladesh Premier League champions and the runners up teams Bashundhara Kings scheduled to play their AFC Cup match on August 15 against Sharjah FC and Abahani Limited will play their match against Maldives Eagle on August 16.
However, for the season 2023-24 clubs are allowed to register maximum 36 players including six foreign booters, in case of more than three foreigners, one booter is mandatory to register from the AFC affiliated country. But out of six registered players, four will be enabled to play in a match.
In the previous season 35 players were allowed for each club for registration including five foreign booters and four were enabled to play.
Meanwhile, the players’ Welfare Association recently had a meeting with the BFF president Kazi Mohammed Salahuddin to reduce the foreign players’ quota but their appeal was not granted.
However, the BFF announced the date of the season 2023-24 kick off right after a week of conclusion of 2022-23 season, was ended on July 22.
BFF made a little changes in the seasons opening tournaments when there will be no third places deciding matches for the Independence Cup and Federation Cup.
Independence Cup will be organized with 14 teams and will take place in four venues, Bashundhara Sports Complex, Shaheed Dhirendranath Stadium Cumilla, Bir Sreshtha Motiur Rahman Stadium Munshiganj and Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium Gopalganj.
In the Independence Cup, 14 teams, 11 of the Bangladesh Premier League 2023-24 and three teams from the knockout qualifying round will take part. BFF will invite their affiliated universities and Education Boards to participate in the Independence Cup.
BFF took the decisions in their Professional League Committee meeting on Monday (July 31) when the meeting did not take decision on the appeal of the Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra, who relegated this season.
