The “Development Cup Football Tournament, Boys (Under-15) 2026”, organized by the Department of Sports under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, officially began in the capital on Saturday with a colorful opening ceremony.

The inauguration was held at the Govt. College of Physical Education, Dhaka ground in Mohammadpur.

State Minister for Youth and Sports, Md Aminul Haque, formally inaugurated the three-day tournament as the chief guest. The opening ceremony was chaired by Md Mahfuzul Alam Khan, Additional Secretary (Sports-2 Division) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Speaking at the event, the State Minister emphasized the importance of identifying and nurturing football talent from the grassroots level to strengthen the country’s football sector. He expressed hope that tournaments like the Under-15 Development Cup would help produce skilled footballers who would represent Bangladesh with distinction at both national and international levels.

The tournament aims to provide a platform for emerging young footballers from across the country to showcase and develop their skills. The competition will continue until June 8, with the closing and prize-giving ceremony scheduled for Monday.

Senior officials of the Department of Sports and young footballers from different regions of the country attended the opening ceremony.

After inaugurating the tournament, the State Minister said that the people of Bangladesh are passionate about sports. He noted that whenever cricket is played, people wholeheartedly support the game and the country’s progress, and the same enthusiasm is seen for football.

He said that the Prime Minister places the highest importance on the development of sports in Bangladesh. Referring to the government’s new initiative, “Notun Kuri Sports”, he said the programme would help identify talented footballers, cricketers, chess players and athletes from the grassroots level.

The State Minister also announced plans to make divisional-level sports complexes self-sufficient and said sports officer positions would be created at the upazila level to further improve the standard of sports across the country.