ABG University Cup Captains' Conference Held, Tk 10 Lakh Prize for Champions in 10-University Contest

The captains' conference of the 'ABG University Cup 2026', organised with the aim of developing the country's sports and building a professional sporting culture at university level, has been held. The colourful event took place on Thursday at the Julkan Indoor Arena of ABG Sports City in the Bashundhara residential area.

The tournament is being organised under the planning and direction of Anvir Bashundhara Group (ABG) chairman Sayem Sobhan Anvir. According to the organisers, the mega sporting event will get under way on 25 September — and the captains' conference was the formal step in its preparation.

The conference was attended by 20 captains of the cricket and football teams of the country's 10 leading private universities taking part in the tournament. A large number of students, along with university representatives, also joined the event.

The overall preparations and the rules of the tournament were discussed at the event. A formal lottery for the group draw was also held, the competition's official jersey and trophy were unveiled, and jerseys were distributed among the participating players.

One of the main attractions of this tournament is that cricket and football competitions will be held together under floodlights for the first time. The 10 private universities will compete for the titles in separate cricket and football divisions, divided into two groups.

In cricket, Group A comprises BRAC University, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), University of Scholars and Daffodil International University. Group B comprises American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), North South University, Sonargaon University, United International University (UIU) and FarEast International University.

The football groupings are slightly different. Group A has North South University, IUB, UIU, FarEast International University and Daffodil International University; Group B has AIUB, BRAC University, ULAB, Sonargaon University and University of Scholars.

To encourage the young generation further in sports, prize money of Tk 10 lakh for the champion team and Tk 5 lakh for the runners-up has been announced in each of the separate cricket and football categories. Such prize money at a university-level tournament is being seen as a major motivation for participants.

ABG Sports City director Md Imrul Hasan attended the captains' conference as chief guest. Also present were Bashundhara Group media adviser Abdul Bari, ABG Sports City advisers Md Liaquat Hossain and Md Nazmul Alam Bhuiyan, T Sports executive director Tasvir Ul Islam, operations manager (football) Salman Hasan and operations manager (cricket) Ikram Hossain Rafi.

In his speech as chief guest, Md Imrul Hasan said the ABG University Cup's journey is beginning with football and cricket. They want to take the event to a much larger scale in future by adding more events. Their goal, he said, is to create a platform for talented university-level athletes where they can display their talent and ability and find a path to contribute to national sports.

Highlighting Bashundhara Group's contribution to sports development, he said the contribution of Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan to Bangladesh's sports is undeniable. Through sponsorship of various sports at national and international level, building world-class sports infrastructure and new initiatives, the group has long played a role in developing the country's sports sector. He described ABG Sports City, one of the largest sports infrastructures in the subcontinent, as an example of that commitment.

The organisers and participating captains expect the tournament to play an important role in developing team spirit, leadership qualities and a competitive mindset among students. They also expressed hope that promising and talented players for the national level will emerge from this very event in future.

With the captains' conference, the draw, and the unveiling of jerseys and the trophy, the formal preparations for the tournament are complete. Now the wait is for the contest on the field — where the cricket and football teams of 10 universities will face each other under floodlights for the titles and the prize money.