Bashundhara Kings have dominated the domestic league but struggled on the international stage. The country's leading club has never progressed beyond the group stage of the AFC Cup.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is tinkering further with the club competition format. After a few years, the format has undergone another revision. Clubs from the leading nations compete in the AFC Champions League Elite, followed by the AFC Champions League. The AFC Challenge League forms the final tier. This proposed format was approved at the AFC Annual General Meeting on Thursday.
The new format reduces Bangladesh's representation at the AFC club level. Previously, league champions Bashundhara Kings participated in the main stage of the AFC Cup, while the tournament champions or league runners-up entered the AFC Cup playoffs.
Kings will need to navigate the playoffs if they want to reach the main stage. These Challenge League playoffs are scheduled for late July and August and are expected to be single-leg ties.
Kings are yet to confirm which stage of the playoffs they will be involved in. According to the AFC's new format, the Challenge League proper will feature 20 teams.
The AFC released a 20-second promotional video for the Challenge League, featuring a brief six-second clip of Bangladesh's Club Kings. The video opens with footage of Kings' players celebrating a goal, followed by the crowd erupting in celebration at the Kings Arena.
Bashundhara Kings participated in the AFC Champions League playoffs last season. Abahani Limited reached the zonal semi-final, contributing to an increase in Bangladesh's club points.
While benefiting from Abahani's efforts, the Kings themselves fell short. As a consequence, the Bangladeshi club finds itself competing a tier lower this time around.
India is the sole South Asian nation with two representatives in the second tier of the AFC Champions League. One club will gain direct entry, while the other must contest the playoffs. The remaining six South Asian countries will need to compete in playoffs within the third tier to qualify for the main stage.
Notably, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, and Lebanon will each have a direct entrant in this third tier. South Asian nations are grouped within the West Zone of the AFC competition.
