2026 SAFF Championship

Last updated

2026 SAFF Championship
Tournament details
DatesJune – July 2026
Teams7 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
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2028 →

The 2026 SAFF Championship will be the 15th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). [1] [2]

Contents

India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final in the previous edition. [3]

Host selection

This edition was expected to be held in a home-and-away format, before opting for the centralized one in Sri Lanka. [4] [5] In April 2025, the competition was postponed to 2026. [6] The postponement was due to logistical issues with the venues, preparation periods for the competing nations, and the desire to coincide the tournament with the excitement from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [7]

Participating nations

All the seven SAFF members will compete.

CountryAppearancePrevious best performance FIFA ranking
(10 July 2025)
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 13thChampions (2003)184
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 9thSemi-finals (2008)186
Flag of India.svg  India 14thChampions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023 )133
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 12thChampions (2008, 2018)171
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 14thRunners-up (2021)176
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 12thThird-place (1997)201
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 14thChampions (1995)196

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.

Group stage

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1TBD100000000Advance to knockout stage
2TBD200000000
3TBD300000000
4TBD400000000
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [ citation needed ]

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1TBD100000000Advance to knockout stage
2TBD200000000
3TBD300000000
4TBD400000000
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [ citation needed ]

Marketing

The marketing rights for the tournament have been awarded to Sportfive until 2029, with the championship occurring biennially. [1] [8]

Sponsorship

Title partnerPresenting partnersOfficial sponsorsPerformance partnerCommercial partner

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcasterReference
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Flag of India.svg  India
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka

See also

References

  1. 1 2 khelnow
  2. ↑ "Format of SAFF Championship likely to change". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the penalty hero again as India beat Kuwait to become SAFF champions". ESPN.com. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Sri Lanka to host the SAFF Championship 2025 after 17 years . FFSL President Jaswar Umar currently in Nepal confirmed the hosting".
  5. ↑ "No home-and-away model for the SAFF Championship 2025; the tournament stays centralized".
  6. ↑ "SAFF Championship postponed to 2026; Sri Lanka to host invitational tournament instead". Khel Now. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "15th SAFF Championship postponed until 2026". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  8. ↑ Wijewickrama, Navod (8 January 2025). "Ex.Co approves home or away format for SAFF Championship". ThePapare. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
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