Skies of cities, towns and villages across the country were this weekend full of Brazilian and Argentine flags as fans displayed loyalty to their favourite teams.

"I am a fan of Brazil and Ronaldinho. So I've bought a Brazilian flag for 220 takas (3.1 dollars)," said college student Amirul Islam, who flew the yellow flag over his rooftop at Dania, a suburb south of Dhaka.

An Argentinian sky blue flag was already fluttering on a bamboo pole from the same rooftop.

"My cousin Hamid has flown the flag. He is an Argentina fan. I feel sorry for him, there is no Maradona and there will be no World Cup for Argentina," Islam added.

The month-long World Cup beginning on June 9 is expected to draw record television audiences in Bangladesh, where football has recently been overtaken by cricket after some fine performances by the national team.

But as the football event approaches, Bangladesh has shed its love for cricket with fans buying either the yellow and green flag of Brazil or the sky blue tricolour of Argentina.

So much is the love for the two teams that at Aminbazar, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the capital, more than 10,000 villagers have been divided into two blocks of fans.

Wealthy villagers were offering free biryani, a Bangladeshi delicacy, and free flags to lure people to their block, said Mohammad Hanif, a businessman.

"I've flown the biggest Brazilian flag, which I got for 1,000 taka. I will also slaughter a goat during the first match. Whoever comes to watch Brazil's game at my house will get free mutton biryani," he said.

"If Brazil wins the Cup, I'll give a feast with a cow, four goats and sweatmeats," he added.

At the village, almost every rooftop is adorned with either of the two flags.

Rahamat Ali, a lorry owner, said his heart belonged to Argentina. "I've already bought two goats for a feast for Argentina. It's going to be (Lionel) Messi's World Cup."

Over 200 students of a Dhaka University dormitory Friday night staged a march to show their support for Brazil, hours after more than a hundred Argentina fans held a rally at the premises, witnesses said.

"We've set up a common fund to buy Argentinian flags, jerseys and colours to paint flags on walls," said Al Amin, a student of public administration and a Jahurul Haq hall resident who was one of the organisers of the procession.

Some students of the same hall have shaved their heads Ronaldo style to show their love for Brazil.

The battle of the flags also caught the imagination of political commentors and a fiery Muslim cleric.

"Every four years we are a nation divided by the yellow of Brazil and the blue of Argentina," Nader Rahman, a commentor, wrote in his weekly column at mass-circulated Daily Star.

"In a country where nationalistic feelings run deep, the football World Cup shows us that may be the mirror has two faces," he said.

"Every other house, hut or tea stall had a flag raised and much to my amusement it was either a misshapen Brazilian flag or what one could loosely call an Argentine flag," he wrote.

Last week an enraged cleric called on Muslims not to fly the flags of any "infidel" nation after seeing his town flooded with flags of World Cup nations. "Muslims should refrain from flying the flags of infidel countries," Jahanigir Kabir, head cleric of the main mosque in the northern town of Ishwardi, said in his weekly Friday sermon.

"I heard him making the long sermon on the flags and how it represents alien culture. But I don't think young men will follow his words," said Atiar Rahman, a shop owner.