The eighth edition of the Birat Gold Cup is set to commence this Thursday. The inaugural match of the nighttime football tournament will be played between Bhutan’s Royal Thimphu FC (RTFC) and Nepal Police Club.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Kishor Bahadur Shahi, the chairman of the Gold Cup Trust, provided information regarding the complete preparation of the competition. According to him, the competition will kick off at 6:45 PM. The winning team among the 10 participating teams will receive 1.1 million rupees, while the runner-up team will receive 550,000 rupees along with a shield.
In Group ‘A’ of the competition, the domestic teams include Sangri La Morang FC, Royal Thimphu FC from Bhutan, Nepal Police Club, Armed Police Force Football Club (APF), and the Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League winners Chyasal Youth Club. In Group ‘B’, there are Indian teams such as Sikkim Dragons, Southern Samity Kolkata, Tribhuvan Army Football Club, New Road Team, and Machhindra Football Club.
Since 2018, the tournament has been organized under the name of Mahendra Gold Cup. However, from the 2068 edition, it has been renamed as the Birat Gold Cup. Previously, the Departmental Police Club had won the title three times in the Mahendra Gold Cup. Royal Thimphu FC had clinched the title in 2031.
The organizers have informed that approximately 11.84 million rupees will be required to conduct the tournament, which will run until March 24. The main sponsors of the competition, which is being organized by the trust itself for the first time, are NAC Asia Bank and Ram Pam Chow Chow.
