The third Rohingya Football Tournament has kicked off in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps, turning dusty pitches into rare stages of joy and unity for refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The monthlong tournament, which began Wednesday, brings together 16 teams selected from 33 camps that are home to nearly 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, now in their eighth year of displacement. A total of 31 matches will be played, with games staged simultaneously on two pitches inside the sprawling camp complex.
Interest has been overwhelming. About 15,000 spectators packed the opening match, and organizers say each game has drawn crowds of at least 10,000, a striking show of community engagement in a place more often associated with hardship than celebration.
Türkiye’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), which has supported the tournament since its inception, is once again the main backer.
The agency has provided sports equipment, field preparations and organizational assistance, helping cement the event as an annual fixture after similar backing in 2024 and 2025.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Rohingya Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Muhammad Mizanur Rahman thanked both TİKA and the Turkish government, calling the tournament a vital source of morale and solidarity for a refugee population living under difficult conditions.
Organizers stress that the competition is about far more than football.
The tournament is designed to instill discipline, teamwork and resilience among young refugees, offering a constructive outlet and steering them away from crime and harmful habits in an environment with limited opportunities.
The champions will be crowned at a closing ceremony following the final match, where prizes will be awarded, but for many participants, the true victory lies in the brief sense of normalcy and hope the tournament brings to life inside the camps.
