| Country | Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Sport | Association football |
| Promotion and relegation | Yes (Men) No (Women) |
| National system | |
| Federation | Bangladesh Football Federation |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Top division | Bangladesh Football League (Men) Women's Football League (Women) |
| Second division | Championship League |
| Cup competition | |
| Association football in Bangladesh | |
TheBangladeshi football league system contains two wide open national professional leagues, threeDhaka based semi-professional leagues and one age-level amateur league.[1]
The semi-professional Dhaka Football League, consisting of aFirst Division,Second Division andThird Division, was established in 1915 and officially recognized after the Partition of India in 1948. Reports fromThe Pakistan Observer (now The Bangladesh Observer) also confirms the short presence of a Fourth Division from 1966 to 1969.[2][3][4] The amateur, age-basedBangladesh Pioneer League was introduced in 1981 as the long-term fourth-tier, expanding the league system. In 1993, theDhaka Premier Division League became the new top-tier, while theFirst Division (1993–2006) served as the second-tier, further expanding the system to five-tiers.
In 2007, theB.League was introduced as Bangladesh's first professional national league, later renamed the Bangladesh League in 2009, rebranded as the Bangladesh Premier League in 2012, and finally renamed the Bangladesh Football League in 2025.[5] The Premier Division and First Division merged to form the new second-tier, theDhaka Senior Division League. The professional league allowed clubs outside Dhaka to participate and had no relegation until the2009–10 season. Senior Division champions and runners-up earned promotion only if they met professional league licensing criteria. In 2009, the Bashundhara Club Cup Championship, a one-time tournament, saw its winners and runners-up qualify for the 2009–10 professional League.[6] The introduction of theBangladesh Championship League in 2012 established a permanent promotion-relegation system, with relegated clubs from the2010–11 season joining the second-tier professional national league.[7][8]
| Professional leagues |
| Semi-professional leagues |
| Amateur leagues |
| Level | Division | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh Football League 10 clubs ↓ 2 relegation spot | Professional |
| 2 | Bangladesh Championship League 10 clubs ↑ 2 teams promoted ↓ 2 teams relegated | |
| 3 | Dhaka Senior Division League 18 clubs ↑ 4 teams promoted ↓ 2 teams relegated | Semi-professional |
| 4 | Dhaka Second Division League 15 clubs ↑ 2 teams promoted ↓ 2 teams relegated | |
| 5 | Dhaka Third Division League 15 clubs ↑ 2 teams promoted ↓ 2 teams relegated | |
| 6 | Bangladesh Pioneer League Unlimited number of clubs ↑ 4 teams promoted No relegation | Amateur |
The primary domestic cup competition in Bangladesh is theFederation Cup. The cup competition is currently only open toBangladesh Football League clubs and runs simultaneously with the league season. The winners of the tournament were previously given entry to the preliminary stages of theAFC Cup. TheIndependence Cup is mainly open to Premier League clubs, however, Services teams andBangladesh Championship League clubs are also eligible to participate given they receive permission from theBangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
As of the2025–26 season, theBangladesh Football League champions qualify for theAFC Challenge League preliminary stage. However, if the league champions are not able to attain AFC licensing, league runners-up orFederation Cup winners are elected to participate in AFC competitions.
| Level | Division | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh Women's Football League 9 clubs No relegation | Semi-professional |
| National teams |
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| League competitions |
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| Cup competitions |
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| Defunct competitions |
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| Rivalries | |||||||||||
