Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon spoke at a press conference today. Photo: BSS

Dhaka, June 8, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend the final match of the Primary School Gold Cup Football Tournament 2026 (Boys’ and Girls’ categories) at Bangladesh Army Stadium here on June 20.

He will also distribute prizes among the young footballers, Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told a press conference at the secretariat here.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj and Prime Minister’s Education Adviser Mahdi Amin were present.

In the press conference, Directorate of Primary Education director general Shahina Ferdousi briefed in detail of the tournament. 

She said the tournament was organized nationwide in five stages, allowing participation from more than 9.9 million students from 65,569 government primary schools. 

Field-level data show that a total of 2,214,105 players took part in this year’s tournament, including 1,110,814 boys and 1,103,291 girls.

In a written statement, the DG said a total of 123,974 matches were held across the country this year in both the boys’ and girls’ categories, marking an extraordinary and unprecedented milestone in Bangladesh’s sporting history. 

Boys’ and girls’ teams participated with equal opportunities and facilities throughout the tournament.

Field-level competitions began on April 6 and concluded with divisional-level matches on May 23. 

After progressing through the lengthy competition, eight champion boys’ teams and eight champion girls’ teams from the country’s eight divisions—16 teams in total—qualified for the national stage.

It was also announced that the national-level competition began on June 4. The first round, semifinals, and third-place playoff matches have already been completed successfully.

The tournament will conclude on June 20 at the Army Stadium with the final match for the championship trophy.

The DG said a policy and an implementation plan have already been approved to make sports compulsory from Grade Four in primary schools following the Prime Minister’s visionary directive.

The education minister said the glorious success recently achieved by Bangladesh’s women’s football team at the international level is rooted in grassroots tournaments such as the Gold Cup. 

This tournament serves as a strong platform for developing future generations into disciplined, confident citizens with leadership qualities, he said.