4 teams reach AFC semifinals

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Air India have qualified for the semifinals of Bangladesh’s first-ever Airlines Football Championship (AFC) 2026, with the title to be decided on Saturday, says a press release.

The semifinal matches of the two-day futsal tournament, organised by the Aviation and Tourism Journalists’ Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB), will be played at the Gulshan Youth Club Field in Gulshan-2.

Air India will take on US-Bangla Airlines in the first semifinal at 2:00pm, while Biman Bangladesh Airlines will face Qatar Airways in the second semifinal at 2:45pm.

The third-place playoff is scheduled for 4:10pm, before the grand final kicks off at 4:45pm.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanom Rita will attend the closing ceremony at 4:30pm and present the championship trophy to the winners after the final.

The tournament, held under the theme “One Sky, One Field, One Champion”, is Bangladesh’s first premier airlines football championship, bringing together 16 domestic and international airlines to promote friendship, networking and professional cooperation across the aviation sector.

The championship was inaugurated on Friday by State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque in the presence of the ambassadors of Brazil and Argentina to Bangladesh.