2026 SAFF Club Championship explained

Tourney Name:	SAFF Club Championship
Dates:	TBA^[1]
Num Teams:	8
Associations:	7

The inaugural edition of the SAFF Club Championship, an international men's club football championship of South Asia organised by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), was stalled for over a decade due to lack of sponsors.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Format

Initially, a centralized venue was planned for the tournament. Eventually, a home-and-away format over six or seven months was finalized as the AIFF expressed reservations over allotting two weeks during the regular Indian football calendar. It was planned to be held in 2024 but postponed to 2026.^{[6] [7]}

Association team allocation

A total of 8 teams from 7 SAFF member associations are set to participate in the 2026 SAFF Club Championship. The association ranking based on the FIFA World Ranking is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association. This will include two teams from India and one team from Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.^{[8] [9]}

bgcolor=#f7f8ff colspan=2	Participation for 2026 SAFF Club Championship
bgcolor=#90ee77 width=20		Participating
bgcolor=#ffcccc width=20		Not participating

SAFF rank	Member association	width=20%	Slots
1	India	2
2	Bangladesh	1
3	Maldives	1
4	Nepal	1
5	Sri Lanka	1
6	Bhutan	1
7	Pakistan	1
Total	Participating associations: 7	8

Teams and locations

The following teams will participate in the tournament:^[10]

Bracket

The matches will be played in home and away knockout format.^[11]

Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals

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Final

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See also

• 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship

Notes and References

1. Web site: SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India. 21 December 2023. 21 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231221090333/https://khelnow.com/football/2023-12-indian-football-saff-club-championship-two-teams-from-india. live.
2. Web site: SAFF announces start of club championship from next year. 6 May 2023. www.dawn.com. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507103901/https://www.dawn.com/news/1751320/saff-announces-start-of-club-championship-from-next-year#:~:text=The%20new%20development%20is%20that,set%20for%20a%202024%20start.. live.
3. News: First-ever SAFF Club C'ship likely next year. 6 May 2023. www.newagebd.net. 7 May 2023. 6 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230506223516/https://www.newagebd.net/article/201018/first-ever-saff-club-cship-likely-next-year. live.
4. News: SAFF Club C'ship from next year. 6 May 2023. www.thedailystar.net. 7 May 2023. 6 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230506232500/https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/news/saff-club-cship-next-year-3313111. live.
5. News: সাফ ক্লাব চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ হতে পারে আগামী বছর থেকে. 6 May 2023. bn. www.prothomalo.com. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507122814/https://www.prothomalo.com/amp/story/sports/football/x5ilnjbjn1. live.
6. News: SAFF mulls home and away system for its inaugural club championship. 17 May 2023. en. www.news9live.com. 24 May 2023. 24 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230524070252/https://www.news9live.com/sports/football/saff-mulls-home-and-away-system-for-its-inaugural-club-championship-2143586. live.
7. News: SAFF announces start of club championship from next year. 7 May 2023. en. www.dawn.com. 24 May 2023. 24 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230524070252/https://www.dawn.com/news/1751320. live.
8. Web site: SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India . 2024-02-20 . Khel Now . en . 21 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231221090333/https://khelnow.com/football/2023-12-indian-football-saff-club-championship-two-teams-from-india . live .
9. Web site: Two spots for India in the inaugural SAFF Club Championship . 7 December 2023 . thebridge.in . 7 December 2023 . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180744/https://thebridge.in/football/two-india-2024-saff-club-championship-45070 . live .
10. Web site: Lakhani . Faizan . Pakistani club to participate in SAFF's inaugural club championship . Geo Super . 30 November 2023 . 28 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231128043920/https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/30371-pakistani-club-to-participate-in-saffs-inaugural-club-championship . live .
11. Web site: @MarcusMargulhao: SAFF Club Championship will have eight teams, including two from India, the highest-ranked member association. . 2023-12-07 . X (formerly Twitter) . en . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180801/https://twitter.com/MarcusMergulhao/status/1732749583749701926 . live .