Featuring international-standard sports facilities, corporate sponsorship and plans for live television coverage, the tournament is expected to open up new opportunities for university-level sports, with teams from private universities across the country taking part.
Matches will be held this October at two venues in Bashundhara Sports City: Bashundhara Kings Arena and Anvir Cricket Stadium.
The opening matches of the cricket and football tournaments are scheduled for October 25 and 26, respectively.
A total of 10 teams from 10 private universities will compete in each discipline. The teams will be divided into two groups, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will meet in the respective finals.
The champions in both cricket and football will receive Tk 1 million each, while the runners-up in each competition will take home Tk 500,000. All matches will be played under floodlights.
The football final is scheduled for November 3, followed by the cricket final on November 13, bringing the inaugural edition of the ABG University Cup to a close.
A multi-sport complex
ABG Sports City has been developed as a comprehensive sports complex offering facilities for a wide range of disciplines, including football, cricket, basketball, boxing, squash, futsal, swimming, paddle tennis and badminton.
Its infrastructure is designed to accommodate both domestic competitions and international sporting events, making it a potential hub for a variety of sporting activities.
One of its key attractions is Bashundhara Kings Arena, a football venue recognised by FIFA. The stadium regularly hosts domestic and international football matches and serves as the home ground of Bashundhara Kings Football Club.
The arena is also a notable example of a football club developing its own stadium-based infrastructure in Bangladesh and the wider South Asian region.
Anvir Cricket Stadium, located beside Kings Arena, has also drawn attention from sports enthusiasts. The venue recently hosted a cricket series between Bangladesh and Malaysia, highlighting its potential to accommodate international cricket events.
Promoting sports among young people
Mohammad Imrul Hasan, director of Bashundhara Sports City, is a prominent figure in Bangladesh's sporting community. He also serves as president of Bashundhara Kings and senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
Explaining the objectives of the tournament, Hasan said Bashundhara Group had consistently worked to promote sports in the country. He described ABG Sports City as a comprehensive sports complex equipped to host domestic and international competitions across different disciplines.
He said the primary goal of the ABG University Cup was to generate greater interest in sports among young people and expand opportunities for athletic participation at the university level.
Plans for a larger tournament
Hasan said the competition would initially feature cricket and football, with 10 teams participating in each discipline in the inaugural edition.
He also outlined plans to organise a larger edition of the ABG University Cup in December, potentially involving 50 universities. The expanded competition, he said, would broaden the tournament's reach and scale.
University-level sporting competitions have long been part of Bangladesh's education system, with inter-university tournaments held in various disciplines. However, organisers expect the ABG University Cup to stand out by bringing two of the country's most popular sports together under a single corporate-backed initiative.
International-standard venues, substantial prize money, floodlit matches and planned live television coverage are expected to add to the tournament's appeal.
The initiative could also provide university students with greater opportunities to develop their sporting abilities, build a competitive mindset and participate regularly in organised sports. It may further strengthen sporting ties and healthy competition among participating institutions.
The ABG University Cup is therefore being positioned as more than a cricket and football tournament. By creating a more organised and engaging platform for university sports, the initiative aims to attract wider participation and public interest.
If plans for the expanded December edition move forward, the inaugural tournament could lay the groundwork for a broader and more structured university sporting competition in Bangladesh.
