Bangladesh's first international airline football championship kicked off on Friday (July 3) at Gulshan Youth Club Turf in the capital, bringing together 16 domestic and foreign airlines under the theme "One Sky, One Field, One Champion."

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque inaugurated the two-day Airlines Football Championship (AFC) 2026. The final is set for July 4.

Argentine Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcelo Carlos Cesa and Brazilian Ambassador Paulo Fernando attended the opening ceremony as special guests.

The tournament was organised by the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB), with Envoy-Sheltech Aviation as the title sponsor and VIP Motors as the powered-by sponsor.

Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister Haque, who was also a renowned Bangladeshi national football team player, said football enjoys immense popularity in Bangladesh, noting the widely recognised passion Bangladeshi fans hold for Brazil and Argentina.

He hoped the tournament would help develop football in the country and said such initiatives would eventually help the Bangladesh national team generate similar enthusiasm from its supporters.

He said that more such sports initiatives would likely come in the future.

Brazilian Ambassador Fernando said football represents joy as much as competition for Brazilians, adding that while winning matters, enjoying the game is even more important.

He urged Bangladeshi football fans to support their favourite teams and celebrate while keeping rivalry confined to the field only.

Argentine Ambassador Cesa said football unites people across countries and cultures, describing the sport as a bridge of friendship between Bangladesh, Argentina, and Brazil.

He expressed hope for the continued advancement of football in Bangladesh and for young players to fulfill their dreams and called for such events to continue in the future.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kaiser Sohel Ahmed said football brings people together, adding that the tournament was more than a competition, serving to strengthen friendship, cooperation, and mutual ties among domestic and foreign aviation sector partners.

He said such engagement would also play an important role in realising Bangladesh's ambition of becoming a regional aviation hub, noting that while competition would take place on the field, cooperation would continue off it.

ATJFB President Tanzim Anwar said the aviation sector in Bangladesh had expanded significantly over the past decade, creating a need for a shared platform where professionals connected to the industry could build familiarity and camaraderie outside their workplaces.

He said the airline football championship would serve that purpose.

Tournament Director and ATJFB Organising Secretary Md. Adnan Rahman said the AFC 2026 was not merely a football tournament but an initiative to strengthen goodwill, networking, and relations among domestic and foreign airlines in the aviation sector.

He said organisers had made every effort to deliver an event of international standard and were working to establish it as one of the sector's most prestigious annual sporting events.

According to organisers, the participating airlines are Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, NOVOAIR, Air Astra, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Turkish Airlines, Air Arabia, IndiGo, Ethiopian Airlines, Air India, Thai Airways, AirAsia, Silk Way West Airlines, and flydubai.

Co-sponsors of the event include Mutual Trust Bank, FastTrip, Work Station, and Pleiades Bangladesh Limited (PBL). Dhaka Airlines Club is the strategic partner. Additional support comes from Crowne Plaza Dhaka-Gulshan as hospitality partner, Aviation Express as media partner, Wada Insure as injury insurance partner, Travel Port as hydration partner, Famous Specialized Hospital as healthcare partner, and Famous Creation as event support partner.