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SAFF Championship

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Football tournament of Asia

This article is about the men's tournament. For the women's tournament, seeSAFF Women's Championship.

Football tournament

SAFF Championship
The SAFF Championship trophy
Organiser(s)	SAFF
Founded	1993; 33 years ago (1993) (asSAARC Gold Cup)
Region	South Asia
Teams	7 Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
Related competitions	SAFF Women's Championship
Current champions	India (9th title)
Most championships	India (9 titles)
Website	saffederation.org
2026 SAFF Championship

TheSAFF Championship (earlier theSAARC Gold Cup and theSAFF Gold Cup) is the primaryfootball competition contested by the seniormen's national teams of theSouth Asian Football Federation (SAFF), determining thesub-continental champion of theSouth Asia.

History

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Countries that currently compete in the tournaments areBangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan andSri Lanka. It is held approximately every two years. India won the title 9 times, 7 more than second most successful, Maldives.^[1]Afghanistan joined the SAFF in 2005 and left in 2015 to become a founding member of theCentral Asian Football Association (CAFA).

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship kicked off inLahore in 1993, evolving out of its forerunner, the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Gold Cup. Since its inception, the biennial competition has developed into South Asia's premier football tournament, promoting the regional development of the game. The SAFF Championship was first postponed from October 2001 to January 2002 due to the suspension of theBangladesh Football Federation; the tournament finally took place in 2003.^[2] The 2021 edition of the tournament was postponed twice due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

Organisation

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Sports marketing, media, and event management companySportfive (formerlyLagardère Sports) has been involved in the tournament since 2025.^[4]

Title sponsorship

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Period	Sponsor	Name
1993	No title sponsor	SAARC Gold Cup
1995	Ceylon Tobacco Company	Bristol SAARC Gold Cup
1997	No title sponsor	SAFF Gold Cup
1999	Coca-Cola	SAFF Coca-Cola Cup
2003–2005	No title sponsor	SAFF Gold Cup
2008	No title sponsor	SAFF Championship
2009	BEXIMCO	Bangabandhu SAFF Championship
2011	Karbonn	Karbonn SAFF Championship
2013	No title sponsor	SAFF Championship
2015–2018	Suzuki	SAFF Suzuki Cup
2021	Ooredoo	Ooredoo SAFF Championship
2023	Bashundhara Toiletries	Bangabandhu SAFF Championship
Source:GSA

Results

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Ed.	Year	Hosts	Champions	Score	Runners-up	Third place	Score	Fourth place	No. of teams
Ed.	Year	Hosts	Final			Third place playoff			No. of teams
1	1993	Pakistan	India	^RR	Sri Lanka	Nepal	^RR	Pakistan	4
2	1995	Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka	1–0 (a.s.d.e.t.)	India	Bangladesh and Nepal			5
3	1997	Nepal	India	5–1	Maldives	Pakistan	1–0	Sri Lanka	6
4	1999	India	India	2–0	Bangladesh	Maldives	2–0	Nepal	6
5	2003	Bangladesh	Bangladesh	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3p)	Maldives	India	2–1 (a.s.d.e.t.)	Pakistan	8
6	2005	Pakistan	India	2–0	Bangladesh	Maldives and Pakistan			8
7	2008	Maldives Sri Lanka	Maldives	1–0	India	Bhutan and Sri Lanka			8
8	2009	Bangladesh	India U23	0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–1p)	Maldives	Bangladesh and Sri Lanka			8
9	2011	India	India	4–0	Afghanistan	Maldives and Nepal			8
10	2013	Nepal	Afghanistan	2–0	India	Maldives and Nepal			8
11	2015	India	India	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Afghanistan	Maldives and Sri Lanka			7
12	2018	Bangladesh	Maldives	2–1	India	Nepal and Pakistan			7
13	2021	Maldives	India	3–0	Nepal	Maldives	^{RR^[a]}	Bangladesh	5
14	2023	India	India	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4p)	Kuwait	Bangladesh and Lebanon			8
15	2026	Bangladesh

Overall records

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In this ranking3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. Matches decided inextra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided bypenalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.

As of2023 SAFF Championship

Portrait of Hamidullah Karimi — Afghanistan'sHamid Karimi holding the SAFF trophy after winning the2013 SAFF Championship

Rank	Team	Part	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	India¹	14	62	39	15	8	108	38	+70	132
2	Maldives	12	50	25	11	14	98	52	+46	86
3	Bangladesh	13	46	18	12	16	52	47	+5	66
4	Nepal	14	46	14	7	25	51	68	−17	49
5	Sri Lanka	13	41	13	7	21	48	65	−17	46
6	Pakistan	12	39	12	8	19	32	51	−19	44
7	Afghanistan	7	27	12	4	11	48	42	+6	40
8	Kuwait	1	5	3	2	0	9	2	+7	11
9	Lebanon	1	4	3	1	0	7	1	+6	10
10	Bhutan	9	27	1	1	25	15	102	−87	4

¹IncludingIndia U23 team.

Nation	Champions	Runners-up	Third-place	Fourth-place	Semi-finalists
India	9 (1993,1997,1999,2005,2009,^[b]2011,2015,2021,2023)	4 (1995,2008,2013,2018)	1 (2003)	–	–
Maldives	2 (2008,2018)	3 (1997,2003,2009)	2 (1999,2021)	–	4 (2005,2011,2013,2015)
Bangladesh	1 (2003)	2 (1999,2005)	1 (1995)	1 (2021)	3 (1995,2009,2023)
Afghanistan*	1 (2013)	2 (2011,2015)	–	–	–
Sri Lanka	1 (1995)	1 (1993)	–	1 (1997)	3 (2008,2009,2015)
Nepal	–	1 (2021)	1 (1993)	2 (1995,1999)	3 (2011,2013,2018)
Kuwait³	–	1 (2023)	–	–	–
Pakistan	–	–	1 (1997)	2 (1993,2003)	2 (2005,2018)
Bhutan	–	–	–	–	1 (2008)
Lebanon³	–	–	–	–	1 (2023)

Bold =Hosts

* =No longer SAFF member

³ =Invited as guest teams fromWAFF

Results by tournament

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Legend

1st – Champions
2nd – Runners-up
3rd – Third place
4th – Fourth place
SF – Semifinals¹
GS – Group stage
DQ – Disqualified/Suspended byFIFA/AFC/SAFF
Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament
— Hosts
× – Did not enter
× – Withdrew before tournament begins
— Not part of SAFF

Team	1993	1995	1997	1999	2003	2005	2008	2009	2011	2013	2015	2018	2021	2023	2026	Total
Bangladesh	×	SF	GS	2nd	1st	2nd	GS	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	SF	Q	13
Bhutan	Not part of SAFF				GS	GS	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	GS	Q	9
India²	1st	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	Q	14
Maldives	×	×	2nd	3rd	2nd	SF	1st	2nd	SF	SF	SF	1st	GS	GS	Q	12
Nepal	3rd	SF	GS	4th	GS	GS	GS	GS	SF	SF	GS	SF	2nd	GS	Q	14
Pakistan	4th	GS	3rd	GS	4th	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	SF	DQ	GS	Q	12
Sri Lanka	2nd	1st	4th	GS	GS	GS	SF	SF	GS	GS	SF	GS	GS	DQ	Q	13
Former team(s)
Afghanistan³	Not part of SAFF				GS	GS	GS	GS	2nd	1st	2nd	Part ofCAFA				7
Guest teams
Kuwait⁴	×													2nd	×	1
Lebanon⁴	×													SF	×	1

¹The third-place match was not played in 1995 and has not been played 2003 onwards.
²IncludingIndia U23 team.
³LeftSAFF and joinedCAFA in 2015.
⁴Invited as a guest team from theWAFF.

Top goalscorers

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Ali Ashfaq ofMaldives scored the most number of goals in a single championship, 10 goals at the2013 Championship

Years	Player(s)	Goals
1993	Inivalappil Mani Vijayan	3
1995	Mohamed Amanulla	3
1997	Inivalappil Mani Vijayan	6
1999	Bhaichung Bhutia	3
	Mizanur Rahman Dawn
	Mohamed Wildhan
	Naresh Joshi
2003	Sarfraz Rasool	4
2005	Ali Ashfaq	3
	Ibrahim Fazeel
	Ahmed Thariq
2008	Harez Habib	4
2009	Enamul Haque	4
	Ahmed Thariq
	Channa Ediri Bandanage
2011	Sunil Chhetri	7
2013	Ali Ashfaq	10
2015	Khaibar Amani	4
2018	Manvir Singh	3
2018	Hassan Bashir	3
2021	Sunil Chhetri	5
2023	Sunil Chhetri	5

Overall

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Sunil Chhetri tackling against Afghanistan. — Sunil Chhetri at the2011 SAFF Championship

As of 27 June 2023

Players with 10 or more goals
Rank	Player	Goals scored
1	Sunil Chhetri	23
1	Ali Ashfaq	23
3	Bhaichung Bhutia	12
4	Ibrahim Fazeel	10
4	Ahmed Thariq	10

Winning coaches

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Syed Nayeemuddin at a football workshop in 24 Paraganas District, West Bengal, India

1. Syed Nayeemuddin

Štimac during a training session of Sepahan.

2. Igor Štimac

BothSyed Nayeemuddin andIgor Štimac won the SAFF Championship twice with theIndia national team.

Year	Team	Coach
1993	India	Jiří Pešek
1995	Sri Lanka	Jorge Perreira
1997	India	Syed Nayeemuddin
1999	India	Sukhwinder Singh
2003	Bangladesh	George Kottan
2005	India	Syed Nayeemuddin(2)
2008	Maldives	Jozef Jankech
2009	India U23	Sukhwinder Singh(2)
2011	India	Savio Medeira
2013	Afghanistan	Mohammad Yousef Kargar
2015	India	Stephen Constantine
2018	Maldives	Petar Šegrt
2021	India	Igor Štimac
2023	India	Igor Štimac(2)

Notes

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^The format of the tournament was changed toround-robin due to the suspension ofPakistan and the withdrawal ofBhutan. Maldives finished third in points and hence listed as third place.^[5]
^India was represented by theIndia U-23 team.

References

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^"From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship".Givemegoal.com.np. 3 August 2013.Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved10 July 2014.
^"Infos at goalnepal.com".Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved2016-01-03.
^"We Will Try Our Best To Host SAFF 2021 Matches In Pokhara".Goal Nepal. 27 July 2021.Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved27 July 2021.
^"SAFF Ex.Co meeting approves home or away format for SAFF Championship 2025".saffederation.org. Retrieved2025-01-08.
^Mukherjee, Soham (9 September 2021)."SAFF Championship 2021: Everything you need to know".Goal.Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved18 September 2021.

External links

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Internationalassociation football

The Best FIFA Football Awards

Timeline

Most successful clubs

World

FIFA	FIFA World Cup U-20 U-17 Olympic Games Youth Defunct FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Gold Cup

Africa

CAF	Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 African Nations League African Games Defunct African Nations Championship
Regional	CECAFA COSAFA WAFU Defunct CEMAC Central African Games

Asia

AFC	AFC Asian Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 AFC Nations League Asian Games Defunct AFC Challenge Cup AFC Solidarity Cup
Regional	ASEAN CAFA EAFF SAFF WAFF Arabian Gulf Cup East Asian Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games Defunct Far Eastern Games

Europe

UEFA	UEFA European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 UEFA Nations League
Regional	Baltic Cup Defunct Central European Cup Balkan Cup British Home Championship Nordic Championship

North,
Central America
& the Caribbean

CONCACAF	CONCACAF Gold Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 CONCACAF Nations League Defunct CONCACAF Championship CONCACAF Cup
Regional	LIFA Cup WIFA Cup Central America and Caribbean Games Central America Games Defunct NAFC Championship CCCF Championship North American Nations Cup Copa Centroamericana CFU Championship Caribbean Cup

Oceania

OFC	OFC Nations Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 Pacific Games Mini
Regional	Melanesia Cup Micronesian Games Defunct Polynesia Cup

South America

CONMEBOL	CONMEBOL Copa América U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 South American Games
Regional	Bolivarian Games

Intercontinental

Africa & Asia	Indian Ocean Island Games Defunct Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Afro-Asian Games
Africa & Ocenia	Defunct AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
Arab/Islamic	FIFA Arab Cup Arab Games Islamic Solidarity Games Defunct Islamic Games Palestine Cup Kuneitra Cup
Europe & South America	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Francophone	Francophone Games Defunct Overseas Cup
Lusophone	Defunct Lusofonia Games
Mediterranean	Mediterranean Games Defunct Mediterranean Cup
Pan American	Pan American Games Defunct Panamerican Championship
Other	Goodwill Games Defunct GANEFO

Non-FIFA

CONIFA	World Football Cup African Football Cup Asian Football Cup European Football Cup South American Football Cup
UIAFA	Defunct UIAFA Great European Tournament
Other	Island Games Universiade Defunct FIFI Wild Cup WUFA World Series

See also: Geography; Codes; Player/Club of the Century; Women's football

v t e SAFF Championship
Tournaments	Pakistan 1993 Sri Lanka 1995 Nepal 1997 India 1999 Bangladesh 2003 Pakistan 2005 Maldives/Sri Lanka 2008 Bangladesh 2009 India 2011 Nepal 2013 India 2015 Bangladesh 2018 Maldives 2021 India 2023 Sri Lanka 2026
Squads	1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 2008 2009 2011 2013 2015 2018 2021 2023
Finals	2011 2013 2015 2018 2021 2023

v t e South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)
International competitions	SAFF Championship SAFF Women's Championship
Club competitions	SAFF Club Championship SAFF Women's Club Championship
Youth competitions	U-23 Championship U-20 Championship U-17 Championship U-20 Women's Championship U-17 Women's Championship
Member associations	Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
National teams	Bangladesh M W Bhutan M W India M W Maldives M W Nepal M W Pakistan M W Sri Lanka M W
Domestic leagues	Bangladesh M W Bhutan M W India M W Maldives M W Nepal M W Pakistan M W Sri Lanka M
Football in South Asia	Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
Related competitions	South Asian Games
FIFA AFC