The “Try-Together Under-16 Sevens School Rugby Tournament 2026” got underway on Sunday at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka, marking another significant step in the development of school-level rugby in Bangladesh. The tournament is being held under the “Try Together” programme of Asia Rugby and will continue until 20 January.

A total of 16 teams from 11 schools are taking part in the competition, which is being contested in both boys’ and girls’ categories. On the opening day alone, 16 matches were completed, reflecting the tournament’s packed schedule and growing participation at the grassroots level.

The tournament was formally inaugurated in the morning by the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Bangladesh, Abdullah Ali Abdullah Alhmoudi, who attended the ceremony as the chief guest. Engineer Md Mostafa Kamal, Manager of BNF Engineers Limited, was present as a special guest. The opening ceremony was presided over by Abdullah Al Jahir Swapan, President of the Bangladesh Rugby Federation Union (BRFU). Also present were General Secretary Akhtar Uz Zaman, along with other senior officials of the federation.

Competitive action on the field began with an exciting opening match, where Mitali Biddyapith High School secured a hard-fought 10–7 victory over Faizur Rahman Ideal Institute. In the boys’ category, Sreenagar Pilot School made an emphatic statement by defeating Hammadia High School 35–0 and Motijheel Ideal School and College 17–0. Tejgaon Model High School also registered a narrow 5–0 win against Motijheel Ideal School.

The girls’ category witnessed several one-sided encounters on the first day. St. Francis Xavier’s Girls’ School produced the most dominant performance of the day, overwhelming Central Girls’ High School 36–0. Meanwhile, Shahid Nabi High School defeated Sreenagar Pilot School 35–0, and Hammadia High School claimed a 10–0 victory over Motijheel Ideal School and College.