State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam spoke at Education Ministry's conference room on Prime Minister's Gold Cup Tournament. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Aug 03, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today said the Prime Minister's Gold Cup Football Tournament will create a fresh wave of football enthusiasm across every upazila and village in the country.

“The tournament will encourage the younger generation to take greater interest in sports and contribute to positive social change nationwide,” he said.

The State Minister made the remarks at a meeting of the steering committee on the Prime Minister's Gold Cup Football Tournament held at the conference room of the Ministry of Education here.

Alam said he has already held meetings with upazila chairmen and concerned officials at the field level and has initially formulated a plan that will spread across the country like a ripple effect.

He said that matches would be held simultaneously on at least four or five grounds in each upazila, as it would not be possible to complete the competition within the scheduled timeframe, if only one ground is used.

He said a separate venue committee, headed by a first-class officer, will be formed for each ground. The committee will be responsible for the overall management and conduct of matches at the respective venues, he added.

Mir Shahe Alam said he has already taken several decisions in his own upazila that could also serve as a model for other upazilas. The upazila parishad will provide footballs and jerseys. 

He also announced a plan to provide each institution participating in the knockout stage with Taka 3,000 to cover travel and other expenses.

He said accommodation will not be provided during the first phase of the competition. However, teams qualifying for the Super Eight stage will be provided with accommodation. Before that, players will travel to the venues and participate in the matches through their own arrangements, he added. 

The State Minister said institutions whose grounds will host the matches should also receive a specific allocation so that they can arrange refreshments, manage the grounds, provide necessary hospitality for officials, and ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament.

He called upon the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to provide special allocations for renovating playing fields in every upazila.
 
He said if the grounds are levelled and made suitable for football, children and adolescents will be encouraged to participate more actively in sports.

Thanking the Ministry of Education for taking the initiative to implement the Prime Minister's Gold Cup Football Tournament, he said the initiative, in line with the Prime Minister's directives, will remain as an important milestone in the country's sports arena.