Bangladesh Football Federation has decided to invite eight teams outside the professional football league in the season's curtain-raising tournament the Federation Cup, scheduled to start from Octobers.

The decision was taken at the Bangladesh League committee meeting yesterday as Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force,

Bangladesh Police, BKSP and three top teams of the Senior Division Football League will be invited to the tournament, which will follow two phases of qualifying and finals.

Abahani, Mohammedan, Sheikh Russel KC, Feni Soccer Club, top four teams of the Bangladesh League, will join the four qualifiers after play-inga 16-team qualification.

"The formation of the qualification will depend on the response of the invited teams as the lower eight teams of the professional football league will also join in the qualification," said Bangladesh Football Federation general secretary Al Musabbir Sadi after the meeting.

Replying to a query, he said that newcomers Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club would be counted as one team of eight Bangladesh League teams apart from Abahani, Mohammedan, Sheikh Russel and Feni Soccer Club.