Bachelors, Farashganj to open first division hockey on 10 Oct 

 
The three-year wait for country's First Division Hockey League will finally end on Saturday, with Bachelors SC taking on Farashganj SC in the opening match of the 2026-26 season at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium in Paltan, Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) announced the fixture at a press conference at its conference room on Thursday, confirming that the opening encounter will start at 11:00am on 10 October.

The curtain-raiser will be followed by another match on the same day, with Wari Club facing Dhaka Wanderers at 3:00pm.

The league will feature 11 clubs, with the other participants being Hockey Dhaka United, Shishu-Kishore Sangha, PWD SC, Combined SC, Rayer Bazar SC, Mukto Bihanga Tarun Sangha, and Dhaka Young Star.

For Bachelors and Farashganj, however, the focus will be firmly on the first whistle. After a lengthy absence from the competition, Saturday's opener provides both sides with an early opportunity to lay down a marker and get their campaign off to a flying start.

The league will be played on a single round-robin basis, with each team facing the other sides once. The 11-team competition will produce 55 matches, running from 10 October to 8 November.

The return of the First Division league is particularly significant for players who have spent three years without the regular competitive platform that domestic league hockey provides. 

The opening fixture therefore carries significance beyond the result, marking the first step in the revival of a competition that forms an important rung on Bangladesh's domestic hockey ladder.

With the long wait finally over, Bachelors and Farashganj have the honour of striking the first blow when the First Division gets back on the turf on Saturday morning.