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]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | TBA[1] |
| Teams | 8 (from 7 associations) |
Format
editInitially, 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
editA 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]
| Participation for 2026 SAFF Club Championship | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
| SAFF rank | Member association | 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
editThe following teams will participate in the tournament:[10]
Bracket
editThe matches will be played in home and away knockout format.[11]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Final
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India". Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "SAFF announces start of club championship from next year". www.dawn.com. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "First-ever SAFF Club C'ship likely next year". www.newagebd.net. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF Club C'ship from next year". www.thedailystar.net. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "সাফ ক্লাব চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ হতে পারে আগামী বছর থেকে". www.prothomalo.com (in Bengali). 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF mulls home and away system for its inaugural club championship". www.news9live.com. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF announces start of club championship from next year". www.dawn.com. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Two spots for India in the inaugural SAFF Club Championship". thebridge.in. 7 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ Lakhani, Faizan. "Pakistani club to participate in SAFF's inaugural club championship". Geo Super. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "@MarcusMargulhao: SAFF Club Championship will have eight teams, including two from India, the highest-ranked member association". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.