Bashundhara Kings and Abahani Limited could miss out on the 2026-27 AFC Challenge League after running into difficulties in securing AFC club licences due to FIFA-imposed transfer bans.

Souleymane Diabate scored twice but missed a late spot-kick as Abahani missed a rare opportunity to beat Bashundhara Kings after having fought back from two goals down in an eventual 2-2 draw in the Bangladesh Football League at the Kings Arena on Saturday.

Reigning runners-up Abahani continued their inconsistent run in the Bangladesh Football League as the six-time champions were held to a 2-2 draw by newcomers PWD at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla on Friday.

Reigning runners-up Abahani returned to winning ways in the Bangladesh Football League with a commanding 5-0 victory over hosts Fakirerpool Young Men's Club at the Shaheed Miraj-Tapan Stadium in Manikganj on Saturday.

Twelve-time Federation Cup champions Abahani suffered another setback against Brothers Union, falling 1-0 to the Gopibagh outfit in their Federation Cup encounter at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla on Tuesday.

The win allowed Mohammedan to close the gap on leaders Bashundhara Kings.

The Bangladesh Football League has officially been rebranded as the Petronas Bangladesh Football League, after United Group -- one of the country’s largest industrial conglomerates -- secured the title sponsorship rights, succeeding Bashundhara Group..“We signed the deal over two months ag

The ban came into effect on November 3, as Richmond Boakye, Kennedy Amutenya, and Moayad Al Khouli reportedly lodged complaints with FIFA after not being paid despite signing contracts with Abahani for the 2024–25 season.

Abahani made a flying start to their Federation Cup campaign with a 4–2 victory over Young Men's Fakirerpool Club in a Group A encounter at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Friday.

Abahani and Mohammedan’s disappointing start to the Bangladesh Football League continued as both sides failed to secure wins in their respective fixtures on Sunday.

Last season's runners-up Abahani received a jolt in their opening match of Bangladesh Football League with a goalless draw against 10-man Rahmatganj at Birshreshtha Flight Lt. Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Friday.

The curtain rises today on the Federation Cup at two different venues, promising a competitive tournament as mid-table teams have bolstered their squads by signing players from the SAARC region to close the gap in local talent.

Five-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings have emerged as the strongest side on paper, assembling a squad packed with 17 current and former national players alongside four proven foreign campaigners, as the two-and-a-half-month-long transfer window closed on Thursday night.

Abahani, six-time Bangladesh Premier League champions, have not advanced beyond the preliminaries of an AFC competition since their 2019 AFC Cup inter-zonal semifinal run.

Six-time Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Abahani began preparations for the AFC Challenge League with much vigor in the middle of last month, bolstered by new signings and the expectation of three foreign recruits joining the club.

Zayyan Ahmed, a USA-based footballer, has joined the Bangladesh Under-23 national team camp as part of the squad’s preparations for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in September.

Morsalin, who left Bashundhara Kings in search of more game time, said the welcome made his move all the more special.

Under coachMaruful Haque, Abahani ended ahead of the Kings for the first time in six seasons.

I'm so happy. After six long years at Mohammedan, I’ve made it and we’ve won the league. So Alhamdulillah, we are champions. I was fighting for this one for so long.

The recent physical assault on match commissioner Sujit Banerjee by Saad Uddin during a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match between Bashundhara Kings and Abahani has put focus on Bangladesh Football Federation's (BFF) reluctance to enforce disciplinary measures in top-tier football.