Dhaka Football League

Dhaka Football League (Bengali: ঢাকা ফুটবল লিগ) is Bangladesh's semi-professional football league. It includes the third-tier, Senior Division, the fourth-tier, Second Division and the fifth-tier, Third Division. The league is run by Dhaka Metropolitan Football League Committee (DMFLC) under the supervision of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). Prior to the introduction of the professional league in 2007, the regional league consisted of the country's top-three tiers, and until 2004, the winners of the top-tier were given entry to the Asian Club Championship (now AFC Champions League Elite). The top-two finishing clubs of the Senior Division are promoted to the professional league through the second-tier, the Bangladesh Championship League, while the bottom two teams of the Third Division are relegated to the amateur sixth-tier, the Pioneer Football League.

The Dhaka Sports Association (DSA) was established in 1895 in Paltan, Dhaka as the apex body overseeing sports in Dhaka, and also played an important role in the spread of association football in the eastern part of Bengal Presidency, British India. The DSA had been organising the Dhaka First Division League since at least 1911.^[1] According to the DSA's 42nd Annual Report for 1937–38, the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division competitions were all held in Dhaka. At that time, the First Division featured 10 teams, the Second Division had 9 teams, and the Third Division comprised 6 teams. Several well-known teams of the era came from various sections of the Dhaka University, including Muslim Hall, Medical College, and Dhaka Hall, among others.^[2] Prominent sports clubs such as Dhaka Farm, Wari Club and Victoria SC also fielded strong and competitive teams. Notably, Dacca Farm won the First Division in both in 1936 and 1937. The league's administration was heavily influenced by the Nawab family of Dhaka, with games usually being held in the Dhaka Sports Association field now occupied by the Dhaka Stadium.^[3][4]

Following the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan in 1947, the First and Second Divisions resumed in 1948, under the supervision of the Dhaka Sports Association (DSA). In 1951, DSA was renamd East Pakistan Sports Association (EPSA) and on 15 May 1951, the EPSA, the eastern province's main sports body, inaugurated the Second and Third Divisions, with the latter resuming for the first time after partition.^[5] On 20 May 1951, the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF), merged with the EPSA and began acting as the province's main sports body under the presidency of Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury.^[6][7] The EPSF took over operations of the Second and Third Divisions, and started the First Division on 25 May 1951. While other district leagues operated under their respective sports associations, the Dhaka Football League, being the eastern province's highest level of football, was operated by the EPSF from 1951 to 1970. The First Division games were mainly held in the Dhaka Stadium in Motijheel, following its construction in 1954, while games from the two lower-tiers were hosted by the Outer Stadium Ground. Additionally, the practice grounds of Victoria SC, Wari Club and Mohammedan SC also hosted league games. In 1955, the First Division was abandoned due to severe regional flooding, despite more than half of its matches having been completed. Dhaka Wanderers Club are historically credited as the league champions for that year. Notably, both the Second Division and Third Division seasons were completed despite the floods.^[8] In 1965, a Fourth Division was introduced by the EPSF, expanding the football league to four tiers.^[9] The league lasted for three seasons, and following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the league system reverted to three tiers.

After the Bangladesh Liberation War and the country's subsequent independence, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was established on 15 July 1972.^[10] Under the supervision of the BFF, the Dhaka Metropolitan Football League Committee (DMFLC) began operating the Dhaka Football League. Although the First, Second, and Third Divisions resumed in 1972, they were abandoned after only a few matches due to economic and political challenges. However, in 1973, all three tiers resumed, with BIDC,^[11] BRTC SC,^[12] and Brothers Union winning the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division, respectively. Notably, Brothers Union entered the First Division in 1975 after going unbeaten in their Third and Second Division title triumphs in 1973 and 1974, respectively.^[13]

In 1981, the Pioneer League was introduced by the BFF as a fourth-tier, age-level competition. The winners of this league were promoted to the Third Division and, in turn, to the Dhaka Football League. The First Division club's also became eligible to participate in continental competitions, and from 1984, the winners of the First Division were given entry to the Asian Club Championship (now AFC Champions League Elite). Dhaka Abahani became the first Bangladeshi club to participate in the competition in the 1985–86 edition, following their 1984 First Division League triumph.^[14] The 1984 season was a significant year in Dhaka football, as the DMFLC for the first time introduced the 3 point system in the First Division.^[15]

In 1993, the BFF restructured the country's league system by introducing the Dhaka Premier Division Football League, with the First Division becoming the second-tier, expanding Bangladesh's league system to five-tiers. The inaugural Senior Division featured the top ten teams from the 1992 Dhaka First Division League, while the bottom ten teams remained in the First Division, alongside the champions and runners-up of the 1992 Dhaka Second Division League. The reconstruction meant that the Premier Division and the First Division made up the Senior Division of the football league system, while the Second and Third Divisions made up the Junior Division.^[16][17]

In 2000, the National Football League was established, featuring the champion from each Dhaka Premier League season. In addition, district league champions were required to compete in a qualifying tournament for their respective divisions. The creation of the National League aimed to expand the domestic football landscape and encourage the participation of clubs beyond the capital. As a result, clubs from the Premier League lost their eligibility to compete in the Asian Club Championship, which was reintroduced after the 2001–02 edition. Following the launch of the AFC Cup in 2004, the AFC competition spot that was previously granted to the Dhaka Premier League champions was reassigned to the winners of both the National League and the Federation Cup, in line with the updated tournament rules.^[18]

In 2007, the BFF launched the B.League, which became the country's first-ever professional football league, later renamed the Bangladesh Football League. The professional league allowed clubs from outside Dhaka to participate, aiming to decentralize domestic football. As a result, the Dhaka Premier Division League was merged with the Dhaka First Division League and rebranded as the Dhaka Senior Division Football League, becoming the second-tier competition. In 2012, the introduction of the Bangladesh Championship League, a second-tier professional football league also open to clubs outside Dhaka, led to the reclassification of the Senior Division as the third-tier league. Meaning the Dhaka Football League now made up the third, fourth and fifth-tiers of the Bangladeshi football league system.^[19]

On 16 September 2021, the BFF decided to dissolve the Third Division from the 2021–2022 season and merge it with the upper-tier.^[20][21] The decision received much scrutiny from the clubs participating in the Dhaka Football League.^[22] On 3 January 2023, BFF reversed their decision and also announced that the Third Division clubs will only be allowed to field U17 players from the 2022–23 season.^[23]

Additionally, the Pioneer League, serving as the country's fourth tier, was decentralized by the BFF, meaning clubs promoted from the competition to the Dhaka Football League could also be from outside the capital. Notably, in the 2022–23 season, the Third Division consisted of eight teams located outside of Dhaka, while the Second Division had four non-regional clubs.^[24] Eventually, the 2025–26 Dhaka Senior Division Football League included NoFeL SC from Noakhali.^[25] Although all Dhaka Football League games were held in the capital, the increasing participation of clubs from outside the capital contributed to the decentralization of the league.

• Football in Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Football League
• Bangladesh Championship League

• Mahmud, Dulal (2018). ঢাকার ফুটবলের গৌরবময় সেইদিন (transl. The glorious day of football in Dhaka). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-93467-8-4.
• Mahmud, Dulal (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
• Mahmud, Dulal (2014). পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় (transl. Bengali players in the Pakistan national team) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon.
• Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প (transl. The story of football the story of footballers) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.
• Mahmud, Noman (2018). ফুটবল পায়ে মুক্তির যুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war fought by football) (in Bengali). Agamee Prakashani. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
• "Foreign Footballers in Bangladesh: From Shaker, Hejazi to Norde, Awudu". Dhaka Tribune. Dhaka. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

• Official website