Bangladesh's love for football, which has waned somewhat with the popularity of cricket, has reached its peak during the World Cup. Now, you can feel the excitement of the World Cup wherever you go in the capital, Dhaka.
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A scene from Dhaka University in Bangladesh has caught everyone's attention as the 2026 World Cup continues. Thousands of fans are chanting Lionel Messi's name while watching Argentina's game. While the whole world is enjoying the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, the excitement in Bangladesh is even higher.
Perhaps, apart from the countries participating in the World Cup, there is someone who is enjoying this competition more, and that is Bangladesh. Football is still considered the most popular sport there. Bangladesh's love for football, which has slightly faded with the popularity of cricket, has reached its peak during the World Cup. Now, even if you go anywhere in the capital Dhaka, you can feel the sensation of the World Cup.
'Now the whole of Bangladesh is football-mad, because of the World Cup. In the last decade, the popularity of football in Bangladesh was felt to have decreased somewhat. But now the game has made a strong comeback in terms of popularity, said Bangladeshi sports journalist Arafat Zuber, adding that the recent success of the men's and women's national teams has also increased its popularity.
Football had already entered Bangladesh during the British colonial period, and since then the game has been considered a part of Bangladeshi society. In the 1980s, the World Cup reached every home in Bangladesh through television. In 1986, Diego Maradona and Argentina won the World Cup, which left a deep impression.
That is why Argentina still has the most supporters in Bangladesh. Brazil is followed by Brazil. According to journalist Zuber, the two most popular teams in Bangladesh are Argentina and Brazil. There have been tense disputes between the supporters of these two countries, especially on social media.
Similarly, along with Messi, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is also popular. Flags of Argentina and Brazil can be seen hanging everywhere in the houses and streets of Dhaka. This time, even though the World Cup is taking place at midnight and in the morning according to Bangladeshi time, it has not reduced the enthusiasm of football fans.
Now, Bangladeshi media is also giving a special place to the World Cup and is providing more and more news. On Messi's birthday, some Bangladeshi newspapers published some of their pages focusing on those players. Football news tends to be the most popular in Bangladeshi media.
Football had already entered present-day West Bengal in the 1800s. Its influence was felt in the entire Bengal at that time and it continued even after the birth of Bangladesh. In the fifties, the prestigious Aga Khan Gold Cup was organized in Dhaka and the famous teams of that time participated in it.
Nepal participated in the 1963 edition of this tournament and this was the first historical tournament in which the Nepali national team officially participated. Nepal also participated in this tournament two years before Bangladesh gained independence. According to the coach of that Nepali team, Padma Krishna Shrestha, football was very popular in Dhaka at that time.
Bangladesh was also in a strong position in terms of physical infrastructure at that time. In the 80s, most of the Nepali football players played professional football in Bangladesh. Former Nepali national team captain Ganesh Thapa is still popular in Bangladesh. Most of the players of his generation played for various clubs in Bangladesh.
When he played in Bangladesh, football was at its peak of popularity. Similarly, another former captain, Raju Shakya, also played when football was very popular in Bangladesh. He says, ‘When we played, Bangladeshi football fans were dying for this game.’ With players of Bangladeshi origin abroad starting to play for Bangladesh, the men’s team’s results have also started to improve.
Bangladesh’s women’s team has also won the Women’s SAFF Championship twice. The women’s team also achieved a historic achievement by qualifying for the last Women’s Asia Cup. The next Men’s SAFF Championship is going to be held in Bangladesh, and the selection of Dhaka as the host venue is believed to be a sign of the popularity of football there.
