SAFF Championship explained

SAFF Championship
Organiser:	SAFF
Founded:	(as SAARC Gold Cup)
Number Of Teams:
Region:	South Asia
Current Champions:	(9th title)
Most Successful Team:	(9 titles)
Current:	2023 SAFF Championship

The South Asian Football Federation Championship (erstwhile South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup and South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup), is the main subcontinental international association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). All seven teams are eligible to compete in tournament.

History

The countries that currently compete in the tournaments are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is held every two years.^[1] Afghanistan joined SAFF in 2005 and left the association in 2015 to become a founding member of Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship kicked off in Lahore 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 2001 was first postponed from Oct/Nov 2001 to Jan/Feb 2002 due to the suspension of the Bangladesh Football Federation from FIFA; the tournament finally took place in 2003. The 2018 edition was hosted by Bangladesh.^[2]

The 2021 edition of the tournament was postponed twice to October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

Results

Year	Host		Final				Third place match/Losing semi-finalists
width=15%	Champion		width=10%	Score	width=15%		Runner-up	width=15%	3rd place	width=10%	Score	width=15%	4th place
1993 Details	Pakistan			^RR				^RR
1995 Details	Sri Lanka			1–0 (a.s.d.e.t.)			and
1997 Details	Nepal			5–1				1–0
1999 Details	India			2–0				2–0
2003 Details	Bangladesh			1–1				2–1 (a.s.d.e.t.)
2005 Details	Pakistan			2–0			and
2008 Details	Maldives & Sri Lanka			1–0			and
2009 Details	Bangladesh			0–0			and
2011 Details	India			4–0			and
2013 Details	Nepal			2–0			and
2015 Details	India			2–1			and
2018 Details	Bangladesh			2–1			and
2021 Details	Maldives			3–0				^RR
2023 Details	India			1–1			and

Statistics

Performance by nation

Nation	Champions	Runners-up	Third-place	Fourth-place	Semi-finalists
	9 (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023)	style=background:silver	4 (1995, 2008, 2013, 2018)	style=background:#cc9966	1 (2003)	–	–
	style=background:gold	2 (2008, 2018)	style=background:silver	3 (1997, 2003, 2009)	style=background:#cc9966	1 (1999)	–	4 (2005, 2011, 2013, 2015)
	style=background:gold	1 (2003)	style=background:silver	2 (1999, 2005)	style=background:#cc9966	1 (1995)	–	3 (1995, 2009, 2023)
	style=background:gold	1 (2013)	style=background:silver	2 (2011, 2015)	–	–	–
	style=background:gold	1 (1995)	style=background:silver	1 (1993)	–	style=background:#9acdff	1 (1997)	3 (2008, 2009, 2015)
	–	style=background:silver	1 (2021)	style=background:#cc9966	1 (1993)	style=background:#9acdff	2 (1995, 1999)	3 (2011, 2013, 2018)
^3	–	style=background:silver	1 (2023)	–	–	–
	–	–	style=background:#cc9966	1 (1997)	style=background:#9acdff	2 (1993, 2003)	2 (2005, 2018)
	–	–	–	–	1 (2008)
^3	–	–	–	–	1 (2023)

Bold = Hosts

* = No longer SAFF member

³ = Invited as guest teams from WAFF

Participating nations

Legend

• – Champions
• – Runners-up
• – Third place
• – Fourth place
• – Semifinals¹
• GS – Group stage
• DQ – Disqualified/Suspended by FIFA/AFC/SAFF.
• Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament
•   - Hosts

 ×  – Did not enter ×  – Withdrew before tournament begins

• - Not part of SAFF

width=170	Team	1993	1995	1997	1999	2003	2005	2008	2009	2011	2013	2015	2018	2021	2023	Total
	×	SF	GS	2nd	1st	2nd	GS	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	SF	13
	Not part of SAFF	GS	GS	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	GS	9
^2	1st	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	14
	×	×	2nd	3rd	2nd	SF	1st	2nd	SF	SF	SF	1st	GS	GS	12
	3rd	SF	GS	4th	GS	GS	GS	GS	SF	SF	GS	SF	2nd	GS	14
	4th	GS	3rd	GS	4th	SF	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	SF	DQ	GS	12
	2nd	1st	4th	GS	GS	GS	SF	SF	GS	GS	SF	GS	GS	DQ	13
Former team(s)
^3	Not part of SAFF	GS	GS	GS	GS	bgcolor=silver	2nd	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=silver	2nd	Part of CAFA	7
Guest teams
^4	×													2nd	1
^4	×													SF	1

¹The third-place match was not played in 1995 and has not been played 2003 onwards.
²Including India U23 team.
³Left SAFF and joined CAFA in 2015.
⁴Invited as a guest team from the WAFF.

All-time table

.

width=20	Rank	width=200	Team	width=20	Part	width=20	Pld	width=20	W	width=20	D	width=20	L	width=20	GF	width=20	GA	width=20	GD	width=20	Pts
1	^1	14	62	39	15	8	108	38	+70	132
2		12	50	25	11	14	98	52	+46	86
3		13	46	18	12	16	52	47	+5	66
4		14	46	14	7	25	51	68	−17	49
5		13	41	13	7	21	48	65	−17	46
6		12	39	12	8	19	32	51	−19	44
7		7	27	12	4	11	48	42	+6	40
8		1	5	3	2	0	9	2	+7	11
9		1	4	3	1	0	7	1	+6	10
10		9	27	1	1	25	15	102	−87	4

¹Including India U23 team.

Top goal scorers by edition

Years	Player(s)	Goals
1993	I. M. Vijayan	3
1995	Mohamed Amanulla	3
1997	I. M. 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
	Hassan Bashir
2021	Sunil Chhetri	5
2023	Sunil Chhetri	5

Overall top goal scorers

Players with 10 or more goals at SAFF Championships

Rank	Nation	Player	Goals scored
1			23
		Ali Ashfaq
3		Bhaichung Bhutia	12
4		Ibrahim Fazeel	10
		Ahmed Thariq

Winning coaches

Year	Team	Coach
1993		Jiri Pesek
1995		Jorge Perreira
1997		Syed Nayeemuddin
1999		Sukhwinder Singh
2003		George Kottan
2005		Syed Nayeemuddin
2008		Jozef Jankech
2009		Sukhwinder Singh
2011		Savio Medeira
2013		Mohammad Yousef Kargar
2015		Stephen Constantine
2018		Petar Šegrt
2021		Igor Štimac
2023		Igor Štimac

See also

• SAFF Women's Championship
• AFC Asian Cup
• Asian Games
• AFF Championship
• CAFA Championship
• EAFF E-1 Football Championship
• WAFF Championship
• Sub-continental football championships in Asia
• Football at the South Asian Games

External links

• • RSSSF page on the South Asian Federation Cup
• South Asia Football–Complete SAFF website
• SAFF Championship winners since 1993

Notes and References

1. Web site: From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship. Givemegoal.com.np. 3 August 2013. 10 July 2014. 13 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180613112224/http://givemegoal.com/np/2013/08/03/from-saarc-gold-cup-to-saff-championship/. live.
2. Web site: Infos at goalnepal.com . 2016-01-03 . 2017-08-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170818090312/http://www.goalnepal.com/news.php?id=26060 . live .
3. News: We Will Try Our Best To Host SAFF 2021 Matches In Pokhara. 27 July 2021. Goal Nepal. 27 July 2021. 27 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210727075206/https://www.goalnepal.com/news/detail/11381. live.