Anisur Rahman

Growing up in the mid-1980s, football in Bangladesh was never merely a sport. It was emotion, identity, and everyday life stitched into dusty neighbourhood fields and crowded tea stalls.

This is the hidden grace of the World Cup. It is often a child's very first introduction to the concept of a setback, wrapped in the safe environment of sport.

For the past few weeks, the people of Bangladesh have been captivated by one thing -- the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

If Bangladesh is serious about competing beyond South Asia, the transformation must begin at home.

Such assessments are used in cases involving sex development characteristics, including Differences of Sex Development (DSD), which have been at the centre of previous eligibility disputes in athletics. The cases are believed to be the first of their kind in Bangladesh athletics, bringing a global debate over female-category eligibility rules into the country's sporting landscape.

The Sky Blues are banking on last season's squad despite the club management's instruction to build a youthful squad that can be retained for the next few seasons.

Athlete Jannat devastated after being ruled ineligible for women's category

For generations, Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) was more than just a sports institute. In football, it was a breeding ground -- a place where raw talent was identified, developed and eventually transformed into players capable of representing the national team.

A series of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) decisions has provided a lifeline to nearly 100 footballers, with the number of participating clubs in the 2026-27 Bangladesh Football League rising to 13 from last season's 10.

Despite heading into the tournament riding high on their historic SAFF U-20 Championship triumph, the Bangladesh U-20 football team suffered another heartbreaking early exit.