2026 SAFF Championship
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bangladesh |
| Dates | 4 November – 17 November 2026 |
| Teams | 6 (from SAFF confederations) (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
← 2023 2028 → | |
The 2026 SAFF Championship (also known as the Tecno SAFF Championship 2026 for sponsorship reasons)[1] 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).[2]
India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final in the previous edition.[3] SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel has said that VAR technology may be included in this 2026 Edition.
Host selection
[edit]This edition was originally expected to be held in a home-and-away format before organizers opted for a centralized tournament in Sri Lanka.[4] In April 2025, the competition was postponed to 2026 due to venue-related logistical issues, the need for adequate preparation periods for the competing nations, and a desire to align the tournament with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[5]
However, Sri Lanka subsequently withdrew as host due to logistical limitations. During the SAFF Executive Committee meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on 26 January 2026, it was decided that the 2026 SAFF Championship would be hosted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an initial schedule set from 21 September to 6 October 2026.[6]
The tournament was later postponed after India accepted an invitation to compete in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, which overlapped with the original dates. SAFF President Kazi Salahuddin subsequently confirmed that the competition was rescheduled. While Bangladesh had been chosen as the host nation, SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel stated that the official announcement was deferred pending corporate sponsorships. On 21 July 2026, Bangladesh was officially confirmed as the host country, with the tournament scheduled to take place in Dhaka from 4 to 17 November 2026.[2][7][8]
Participating nations
[edit]All seven SAFF members are expected to compete, though according to the decision of the SAFF, Nepal will not be able to participate in this tournament if the suspension imposed by FIFA is not lifted by September 30, 2026.[9]
| Country | Appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking (July 2026)[10] |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bangladesh (H) |
14th | Champions (2003) | 181 |
 Bhutan |
10th | Semi-finals (2008) | 192 |
 India |
15th | Champions (Nine times)[note 1] | 138 |
 Maldives |
13th | Champions (2008, 2018) | 173 |
 Nepal |
|||
 Pakistan |
13th | Third-place (1997) | 198 |
 Sri Lanka |
15th | Champions (1995) | 187 |
Squads
[edit]Venues
[edit]The National Stadium in Dhaka will host all the matches of this edition.[11][12]
| Dhaka |
|
|---|---|
| National Stadium | |
| 23°44′7.8″N 90°24′40.7″E / 23.735500°N 90.411306°E | |
| Capacity: 22,400 | |
 |
Draw
[edit]The official logo unveiling ceremony took place in Dhaka on July 25, 2026,[1][13] while the official draw ceremony concluded in Thimphu, Bhutan, on August 1, 2026.[14][15]
Draw Pot
[edit]This draw has been conducted based on the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking published on 20 July 2026.[10]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh (H) (181) India (138) |
Maldives (173) Nepal (177) Sri Lanka (187) |
Bhutan (192) Pakistan (198) |
Note: The Nepal team has been suspended by FIFA with immediate effect.
Draw Result
[edit]
|
|
Match officials
[edit]- Referees
TBD
- Assistant referees
TBD
Group stage
[edit]- All matches will take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- All times are listed in Bangladesh Standard Time (UTC+06:00).
Group A
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh (H) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to the Knockout stage |
| 2 | Bhutan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Sri Lanka |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(H) Hosts
Group B
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to the Knockout stage |
| 2 | Maldives |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Pakistan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Knockout stage
[edit]- All matches will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- All times are listed in Bangladesh Standard Time (UTC+06:00).
Bracket
[edit]| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| November – Dhaka | ||||||
 To Be Determined | ||||||
| 17 November – Dhaka | ||||||
| To Be Determined | ||||||
| To Be Determined | ||||||
| November – Dhaka | ||||||
| To Be Determined
| ||||||
| To Be Determined | ||||||
| To Be Determined | ||||||
Semi-finals
[edit]Final
[edit]Champion
[edit]| SAFF Championship 2026 |
|---|
 To Be Determined |
Prize money
[edit]Prize money amounts will be announced in 2026.
| Position | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Champions | TBD |
| Runner-up | TBD |
| Total | TBD |
Statistics
[edit]Goalscorers
[edit]TBD
Awards
[edit]| Most Valuable Player | Top Scorer | Goalkeeper | Fair Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Marketing
[edit]The marketing rights for the tournament have been awarded to Sportfive until 2029.[18]
Broadcasting
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh |
TBD | |
| India |
TBD | |
| Maldives |
TBD | |
| Nepal |
TBD | |
| Pakistan |
TBD | |
| Sri Lanka |
TBD | |
| Bhutan |
TBD |
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "TECNO & SAFF Officially Launch the TECNO SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026". South Asian Football Federation. 25 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Bangladesh to host 2026 SAFF Championship from November 4–17". South Asian Football Federation. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Anish Anand (4 July 2023). "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the penalty hero again as India beat Kuwait to become SAFF champions". ESPN. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka to host the SAFF Championship 2025 after 17 years". Football Federation of Sri Lanka. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2026 – via Instagram.
- ↑ Triyasha Chatterjee (23 April 2025). "SAFF Championship postponed to 2026; Sri Lanka to host invitational tournament instead". Khel Now. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ↑ "සාෆ් පාපන්දු තරගාවලිය සැප්තැම්බර් 21 වැනිදා සිට". Kelimandala (in Sinhala). 26 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ↑ "Bangladesh confirmed as host of 2026 SAFF Championship". bdnews24.com. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Arooj Fatima (21 July 2026). "Bangladesh Set to Host SAFF Championship 2026". Pro Sports. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Paudel, Nayak (1 August 2026). "Nepal's SAFF Championship hopes hinge on FIFA lifting ANFA suspension". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- 1 2 "The FIFA World Ranking (Men)". FIFA. 20 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Dhaka to host SAFF Championship from Nov 4–17". The Daily Star. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "ন্যাশনাল স্টেডিয়ামেই হচ্ছে সাফ, বাংলাদেশের ফুটবল ফ্যানদের দক্ষিণ এশিয়ায় সবার ওপরে রাখলেন কাটেল" [SAFF is being held at the National Stadium, Kattel put Bangladesh football fans above everyone else in South Asia]. T Sports (in Bengali). 25 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026 – via Facebook.
- ↑ Ahmed, Kamran (25 July 2026). "TECNO Becomes Title Sponsor as SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 Officially Launches". Dazzling Dawn. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "SAFF Championship draw today: What you need to know". The Daily Star. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "SAFF Championship draw set | Nepal's fate hangs in balance". Daily Sun. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "Bangladesh drawn with Sri Lanka, Bhutan in SAFF Championship". Dhaka Tribune. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "SAFF Championship: Defending champions India grouped with Pakistan, Maldives". India Today. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ Triyasha Chatterjee (8 January 2025). "SAFF Championship 2025: Dates & format revealed". Khel Now. Retrieved 11 January 2025.