Dhaka: Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club have been placed in the same group following the draw ceremony of the Federation Cup Football, held at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Bhaban conference room. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the tournament will feature ten clubs from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), divided into two groups, competing from December 3 at three venues across the country. The draw involved ten teams split into five pots, with each pot containing two teams and an additional pot specifying the venues. Group A comprises Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police Football Club, Fortis Football Club, Brothers Union Club, and Dhaka Wanderers Club. Meanwhile, Dhaka Abahani Limited, Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited, Chittagong Abahani Limited, Rahmatganj Muslim and Friends Society, and Dhaka Wanderers Club have been placed in Group B. BPL champions Bashundhara Kings will face Brothers Union Club at Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla, while Bangladesh Poli ce Football Club will take on Fortis Football Club at Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on the tournament's opening day. Following the group stage matches, the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, with the final scheduled for May 2 next year. This season introduces a new format, replacing traditional semi-finals with qualifiers and eliminators in line with cricket franchise tournaments. The winners from the match between group champions will go directly to the final, while the losers will face the winners among the runners-up teams for a spot in the final. Due to renovations at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, group stage and qualification round matches will be held at Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla, Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh, and Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka. The final's venue will be determined later by the BFF Professional League Committee. BFF senior vice president and professional league management committee chairman Imrul Hasan emphasized the importance of consistency and effort in becoming group champions and noted the new system aims to prevent any club from being eliminated due to a single poor performance. Bashundhara Kings is the sponsor of this season's Federation Cup. Other attendees at the draw ceremony included BFF vice president Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy, executive members Satyajit Das Rupu, Tipu Sultan, Kamrul Hasan Hilton, Syed Hasan Kanon, and BFF general secretary Imran Hossain Tushar.
