DHAKA, Bangladesh -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Saturday said Asia's soccer governing bodies must come up with their own programs to develop the game in their region.

"FIFA is always ready to help, but initiatives must come from national associations to improve," said Blatter, who is in Bangladesh for the opening ceremony of the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup soccer tournament.

"Local football federations need to develop their own programs at home _ step by step," he said, adding that soccer's world governing body, FIFA, as well as the Asian Football Confederation, was already offering assistance under various projects including the Goal Program and Vision Asia.

Blatter formally inaugurated the Bangladesh Football Federation's new headquarters, built with FIFA assistance, in downtown Dhaka on Saturday.

He also donated money from a FIFA tsunami fund to build soccer training centers in the coastal areas of Cox's Bazar and Barisal. The fund was set up to help tsunami-hit Asian nations.

Later Saturday, Blatter, along with AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam, was to attend the opening ceremony of the Challenge Cup, which features 16 emerging Asian soccer nations.

"I foresee the Challenge Cup having lots of success," Blatter said.

The tournament, planned for every two years, hopes to give low-ranking Asian nations a chance to compete for an international trophy.

This year's tournament includes teams from Afghanistan, Taiwan, the Philippines, India, Guam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Palestine, Brunei, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Macau, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

FIFA's Goal Program aims to develop soccer infrastructure in developing countries, while Vision Asia is an AFC program designed to improve the standard of Asian soccer at all levels, including administration and management.