Fortis FC have been drawn in Group C of the AFC Challenge League alongside India’s FC Goa, Tajikistan’s FC Regar-TadAZ and hosts Qadsia SC of Kuwait following Thursday’s draw at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Argentine football legend Claudio Caniggia met budding Bangladeshi footballers at the Fortis Football Academy in Dhaka on Monday during his visit as the guest of honour at the Pillow Chips Dhaka Interschool Champions League (DICL) 2026. The former World Cup star, renowned for his blistering pace and iconic partnership with Diego Maradona, handed out prizes before sitting down with the media.

Bangladesh Police FC could not make their continental debut as memorable as Fortis FC, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Syria’s Al Ittihad Ahli of Aleppo SC in the AFC Challenge League preliminary round in Jordan on Tuesday.

Fortis FC were not supposed to be in the AFC Challenge League preliminary round. Mohammad Ibrahim was not even coach Masud Parvez Kaiser's first choice as a loanee. Yet on Tuesday, both proved decisive as Fortis reached the group stage of Asia's third-tier club competition on their debut.

Despite finishing third and fourth respectively in the last Bangladesh Football League season, Fortis and Police were handed AFC opportunities after champions Bashundhara Kings and runners-up Abahani failed to secure club licensing.

Fortis will host Kyrgyzstan’s Muras United FC at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka, while Police will face Syria’s six-time league champions Al Ittihad Ahli of Aleppo SC in Jordan on August 11.

Fortis FC and Bangladesh Police FC have moved ahead of traditional powerhouses Abahani and Bashundhara Kings in the race for AFC club licensing.

Former Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam played the final match of his professional career as Abahani kept up the pressure on league leaders Bashundhara Kings in the Bangladesh Football League on Friday.

At the Bashundhara Kings Arena, the match was a truly topsy-turvy battle and a heated affair from the opening whistle, characterised by a physical intensity that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the ninety minutes.

Gambian forward Essa Jallow scored a brace as a 10-man Fortis FC beat defending champions Mohammedan Sporting 2-1 in Cumilla on Saturday to reclaim the top spot in the Bangladesh Football League.

Perera spoke to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about Fortis' performance, the Bangladesh Football League, his own form, and the recent progress of the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka national teams.

Title favourites Bashundhara Kings suffered a shock first defeat of the campaign, going down 2-1 to Bangladesh Police in the Bangladesh Football League on Saturday, as Fortis FC closed the gap on the runaway leaders.

The win lifted Fortis to the top of the Group B standings with one victory and two draws.

Elsewhere, newly promoted PWD Sports Club shocked Arambagh KS in Manikganj.

Brothers, meanwhile, delivered a crushing 8-0 win over promoted Dhaka Wanderers Club in Mymensingh

Title aspirants Abahani crossed Fortis FC hurdle to move into the semifinals of the Federation Cup with an emphatic 3-1 win in the fourth and final quarterfinal at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Tuesday.

Title aspirants Mohammedan Sporting Club resumed their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) campaign with a bang, handing a massive 4-0 defeat to Fortis Football Club in their first match of the second leg at the Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Friday.

Fortis FC confirmed the services of Nepalese forward Anjan Bista for the second leg of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), said the club manager Rashedul Islam on Friday.

Bangladesh Police's Colombian forward Horacio Ibarguen Garcia scored the second hattrick of the Bangladesh Premier League season in a 4-1 thrashing of Brothers Union at the Muktijuddho Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi yesterday.

As things stand, the 2023-24 season's BCL will now be a seven-team competition