Cricket and football are the two most popular sports in Dhaka and across the nation.[105] Teams are fielded in intra-city and national competitions by a large number of schools, colleges and private entities. The Mohammedan Sports Club and Abahani are two of the most famous football and cricket teams, maintaining a fierce rivalry.[106]
Dhaka has the distinction of having hosted the first official Test cricket match of the Pakistan cricket team in 1954 against India.[107] TheBangabandhu National Stadium was formerly the main venue for domestic and international cricket matches, but now exclusively hosts football matches.[107] It was the host for the opening ceremony[108] of the 2011 Cricket World Cup as well as for 6 matches of the tournament including 2 quarterfinals.[109] The Bangladesh Sports Control Board, responsible for promoting sports activities across the nation is based in Dhaka. Dhaka also has stadiums largely used for domestic events such as the Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium (in Mirpur), the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium and the Outer Stadium Ground.[110] The Dhaka University Ground hosts many intercollegiate tournaments.[111]
