Kashif and Shanghai tournament eyes emotional return to Linden after 18 years

Feb 19, 2026 Sports

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – The iconic Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament could be heading back to its spiritual home in Linden, nearly two decades after organisers were forced to move the grand finale due to inadequate facilities.

Tournament co-founder Kashif Muhammad confirmed in an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, that plans are underway to return the year-end spectacle to the mining town where it all began, once the necessary approvals are secured from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).

Kashif and Shanghai tournament eyes emotional return to Linden after 18 years

Kashif and Shanghai organisation (L-R) Frank ‘English’ Parris, Kashif Muhammad, Collin ‘BL’ Aaron and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major.

Muhammad, who alongside his longtime partner, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major launched what became Guyana’s most successful football tournament in 1990, revealed that the intention is to host this year’s competition in Linden, provided logistical and administrative arrangements fall into place.

“But that’s the plan, to play this year in Linden,” Muhammad stated.

“Remember, one of the reasons we moved the finals back then was because of the venue. But now, we’ll have two massive venues, so we want to bring the tournament back this year. That’s the plan, but we have to see how it goes,” Muhammad said.

The two venues referenced are the Bayroc National Stadium and the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, with the latter widely regarded as the historic “Mecca” of sport in Guyana.

The recently commissioned Bayroc facility now boasts a FIFA-standard pitch, while the Mackenzie venue is nearing completion after undergoing a significant transformation, including a new playing surface and upgraded stands, a stark contrast to the deteriorated conditions that once forced the tournament’s relocation.

Muhammad expressed confidence that the availability of two quality venues would ensure long-term stability for the tournament in Linden.

“We have two venues now, so we will never move the tournament once we get going again,” he said enthusiastically.

Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey “Shanghai” Major.

In October 2008, organisers announced that the final of the tournament’s 19th edition would be staged at the Providence Stadium, marking the end of an era after nearly two decades in Linden.

At the time, Muhammad explained that the deteriorating condition of the Mackenzie Sports Club ground made it impossible to provide players and supporters with an environment befitting the prestige of the country’s premier football event.

The move, however, received massive backlash from the Linden community, considering that the event brought significant economic impact at the event of the year.

But the finals held at Providence attracted record-breaking crowds, with attendance figures that remain among the largest ever recorded for a sporting event in Guyana, rivalled only by finals of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

From 1990 to 2015, the Kashif and Shanghai Tournament represented the pinnacle of football entertainment in Guyana, comparable in cultural significance to what the CPL is for cricket in the modern Caribbean.

Its New Year’s Day finals, first in Linden and later at Providence, became national events, often drawing crowds beyond stadium capacity and setting the benchmark for sporting promotion and fan engagement.

Following its decline, year-end football lost much of its identity despite several attempts to revive the tradition under different formats and branding.

Many fans felt those versions lacked the authenticity, excitement, and organisational excellence that defined the original Kashif and Shanghai tournament.

A return to Linden, therefore, would not only mark a homecoming but could also signal the rebirth of one of Guyana’s most cherished sporting traditions, restoring the atmosphere, and spectacle that once made Kashif and Shanghai football the heartbeat of the nation’s holiday season.

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Guyana Football Federation, Kashif and Shanghai, Kashif Muhammad, Linden

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