2023 SAFF Championship

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2023 SAFF Championship
2023 SAFF Championship logo.png
Tournament details
Host countryIndia
Dates21 June – 4 July
Teams8 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of India.svg  India (9th title)
Runners-upFlag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait
Tournament statistics
Matches played15
Goals scored38 (2.53 per match)
Attendance93,993 (6,266 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of India.svg Sunil Chhetri (5 goals)
Best player(s) Flag of India.svg Sunil Chhetri
Best goalkeeper Flag of Bangladesh.svg Anisur Rahman Zico
Fair play awardFlag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
← 2021
2025 →

The 2023 SAFF Championship (known as the 2023 Bangabandhu SAFF Championship for sponsorship reasons) [1] was the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The event was held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India from 21 June to 4 July 2023.

Contents

India, the defending champions, won their ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final. [2]

Host selection

At the SAFF Executive Committee meeting, held on 17 October 2021 in the Maldives, Football Sri Lanka expressed their interest to bid for hosting the tournament. [3] However, FIFA suspended Sri Lanka on 21 January 2023, which ceased them from hosting and participation in any football tournament. [4]

Later on 30 January 2023, SAFF unofficially announced that only Nepal had applied for hosting rights till the deadline which is 29 January 2023. [5] The host was supposed to be announced following the SAFF members' meeting during 33rd AFC Congress in Manama, Bahrain on 1 February 2023. On 14 February 2023, India were declared as the hosts of the 14th edition of the championship. [6] [7] On 19 March 2023, AIFF announced Bangalore as the host city for SAFF Championship 2023. [8]

Participating nations

Football Sri Lanka was sanctioned by FIFA on 21 January 2023, which made them ineligible for participation in the competition. [4] Kuwait and Lebanon were invited as guest teams with a view to increase the number of teams for the championship and make the event more competitive. [9]

CountryAppearancePrevious best performance FIFA ranking
(6 April 2023) [10]
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 13thChampions (2003)192
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 9thSemi-finals (2008)185
Flag of India.svg  India 14thChampions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021 )101
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 1stDebut (invitee)143
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 1stDebut (invitee)99
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 12thChampions (2008, 2018)154
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 14thRunners-up (2021)174
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 12thThird place (1997)195

Squads

Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.

Venue

The Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, Karnataka, India hosted all the matches. [8]

Bangalore
Sree Kanteerava Stadium
12°58′10.92″N77°35′36.24″E / 12.9697000°N 77.5934000°E / 12.9697000; 77.5934000 (Bangalore)
Capacity: 25,810
Sree Kanteerava Stadium.jpg

Draw

The draw ceremony of this tournament was held on 17 May 2023 at 12:30 IST in New Delhi, India. [11]

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon (99)
Flag of India.svg  India (101) (hosts)		Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait (143)
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives (154)		Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal (174)
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan (185)		Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh (192)
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan (195)

Draw result

Group AGroup B
Flag of India.svg  India Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh

Officiating

Referees
Assistant referees

Group stage

Group A

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 321082+67Qualified for Semi-finals
2Flag of India.svg  India (H)321071+67
3Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 310225−33
4Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 300309−90
Source: Global Sports Archive
(H) Hosts
Kuwait  Flag of Kuwait.svg3–1Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Report Bista Soccerball shade.svg69'
Sree Kanteerava Stadium , Bangalore
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)
India  Flag of India.svg4–0Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 22,860
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)
Pakistan  Flag of Pakistan.svg0–4Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 309
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)
Nepal    Flag of Nepal.svg0–2Flag of India.svg  India
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 12,642
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)
Nepal    Flag of Nepal.svg1–0Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 250
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)
India  Flag of India.svg1–1Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 9,562
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)

Group B

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 330071+69Qualified for Semi-finals
2Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 320164+26
3Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 310234−13
4Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 300329−70
Source: Global Sports Archive
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svg2–0Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Maldives  Flag of Maldives.svg2–0Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 200
Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)
Bangladesh  Flag of Bangladesh.svg3–1Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 100
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)
Bhutan  Flag of Bhutan.svg1–4Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 250
Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svg1–0Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)
Bhutan  Flag of Bhutan.svg1–3Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Referee: Crystal John (India)

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
 Semi-finals Final
 
      
 
 1 July 2023
 
 
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait (a.e.t.)1
 
4 July 2023
 
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 0
 
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 1 (4)
 
 1 July 2023
 
Flag of India.svg  India (p)1 (5)
 
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 0 (2)
 
 
Flag of India.svg  India (p)0 (4)
 

Semi-finals

Kuwait  Flag of Kuwait.svg1–0 (a.e.t.)Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 500
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svg0–0 (a.e.t.)Flag of India.svg  India
Report
Penalties
2–4
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 19,640
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

Final

Kuwait  Flag of Kuwait.svg1–1 (a.e.t.)Flag of India.svg  India
Report
Penalties
4–5
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 26,380
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 38 goals scored in 15 matches, for an average of 2.53 goals per match.

5 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Awards

Most Valuable PlayerTop ScorerGoalkeeperFair Play
Flag of India.svg Sunil Chhetri Flag of India.svg Sunil Chhetri (5 goals) Flag of Bangladesh.svg Anisur Rahman Zico Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal

Champion

 SAFF Championship 2023 
Flag of India.svg
India
9th title

Prize money

Prize money amounts were announced in 2023. [12]

PositionAmount (USD)
Champions50,000
Runner-up25,000
Total75,000

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcasterRef.
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh T Sports [1]
Flag of India.svg  India DD Bharati, DD Sports, FanCode [13]
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait Kuwait Television [14]
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon LBCI [15]
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives ICE TV, Yes TV [16] [17]
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal Kantipur Television [18] [19]
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Geo Super, A Sports [20]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Bashundhara Toiletries Limited becomes title sponsor of SAFF Championship 2023". daily-sun.com. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "SAFF Championship 2021 Final: India defeats Nepal 3-0 to lift title for the eighth time". Sportstar . The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Premlal, Sushil (10 October 2021). "FSL keen to host 2023 SAFF Tourney". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice" (PDF). digitalhub.fifa.com. Zürich. 22 January 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "সাফের স্বাগতিক হতে শুধু নেপালের আবেদন". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 29 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "SAFF confirms Sports Partner International as the official commercial partner". saffederation.org. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "SAFF Championship 2023: All you need to know, dates, schedule, match timings, venue". Sportstar . Chennai: The Hindu. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Bengaluru to host 2023 SAFF Championship". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Lebanon to compete in SAFF Championship". saffederation.org. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "FIFA Men's Ranking". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Chatterjee, Triyasha (15 May 2023). "SAFF Championship 2023 Draw on May 17, Indian Football Team eye consecutive titles - Follow SAFF 2023 LIVE". www.insidesport.in. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "SAFF Championship 2023 Awards And Winners". India TV News. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "India vs Pakistan, SAFF Championship live streaming; When and where to watch football match live". India Today . 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  14. ↑ تلفزيون دولة الكويت [@KwtTelevision] (21 June 2023). ‏للإعلان عبر تلفزيون دولة الكويت على القناة الثالثة الرياضية خلال مباريات بطولة كأس اتحاد جنوب اسيا لكرة القدم 2023 ، التواصل مع ادارة الاعلان التجاري والتسويق whatsapp : +965 22326688 (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023– via Twitter.
  15. ↑ LBCI TV [@LBCILebanon] (20 June 2023). تابعوا مباراة منتخب لبنان ضد بنغلادش ضمن بطولة إتحاد جنوب آسيا لكرة القدم... الخميس الساعة 1 بعد الظهر على شاشة الـLBCI [Watch the Lebanon national team match against Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship... Thursday at 1:00 pm on LBCI] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023– via Twitter.
  16. ↑ @ICEmdv (20 June 2023). "The most awaited SAFF 2023 is here, brought to you by @medianetmv in partnership with @psm_mkt" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023– via Twitter.
  17. ↑ @YES_Maldives (20 June 2023). "Get ready, Maldives! SAFF 2023 is here! @psm_mkt in partnership with @medianetmv brings you the action! Stay tuned for matches, goals, and unforgettable moments. Are you ready?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023– via Twitter.
  18. ↑ "Kantipur TV to broadcast SAFF Championship 2023 Live in Nepal". dailylivescores.com. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  19. ↑ "SAFF Championship 2023: Nepal vs India: Where and how to watch in India and Nepal?". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  20. ↑ Nasir, Saad (27 June 2023). "How to Watch Pakistan Vs. Nepal SAFF Championship: Live Stream and Timings". propakistani.pk. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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