The SAFF U-18/U-19/U-20 Championship is a biennial football championship for male footballers under the age of 20 and is organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The championship was held for the first time in August 2015 in Nepal.[1] The tournaments are held just before AFC U-19 Championship qualification matches, keeping in mind about proper preparation for that.[2]
| Founded | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Region | South Asia (SAFF) |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Current champions |  India (3rd title) |
| Most successful team(s) | India (3 titles) |
 2024 SAFF U-20 Championship | |
Results
edit- U18 Category
| Year | Host | Final | Third place match/Semi-finalists | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 2017 | 
|
 Nepal |
RR |  Bangladesh |
 India |
RR |  Bhutan | ||
| 2019 | 
|
India |
2–1 | Bangladesh |
 Maldives |
1–0 | Bhutan | ||
- U19 Category
| Year | Host | Final | Third place match/Semi-finalists | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 2015 |
|
Nepal |
1–1
(5–4 p) |
India |
 Afghanistan and  Bangladesh
| ||||
| 2023 |
|
India |
3–0 |  Pakistan |
Bhutan and Nepal
| ||||
- U20 Category
| Year | Host | Final | Third place match/Semi-finalists | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 2022 |
|
India |
5–2
(a.e.t.) |
Bangladesh |
Nepal |
RR | Maldives | ||
| 2024 |
|
||||||||
Participating nations
edit- Legend
- 1st – Champions
- 2nd – Runners-up
- 3rd – Third place
- 4th – Fourth place
- 5th – Fifth place[a]
- SF – Semifinals[b]
- GS – Group stage
- q – Qualified for upcoming tournament
- — Hosts
- × – Did not enter
- • – Did not qualify
- × – Withdrew before qualification
- — Withdrew/Disqualified after qualification
- — Not part of SAFF
| Team | 2015 |
2017 |
2019 |
2022 |
2023 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh
|
SF | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | GS | 5 |
| Bhutan
|
GS | 4th | 4th | × | SF | 4 |
| India
|
2nd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 5 |
 Maldives
|
GS | 5th | 3rd | GS | GS | 5 |
| Nepal
|
1st | 1st | GS | 3rd | SF | 5 |
 Pakistan
|
× | × | × | × | 2nd | 1 |
 Sri Lanka
|
× | × | GS | GS | × | 2 |
| Former Team | ||||||
| Afghanistan
|
SF | Not a SAFF member | 1 | |||
- Notes
- ^ Format of the 2017 tournament was single round-robin between the 5 participating teams. Nepal won the title on head-to-head rule of classification.[3]
- ^ No third-place match was held in 2015 and 2023.
Awards
edit| Tournament | Most Valuable Player | Top scorer(s) | Goals | Fair play award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Not Awarded | Anjan Bista Bimal Magar
|
3 | India
|
| 2017 | Orgyen Tshering
|
Jafar Iqbal
|
5 | Bhutan
|
| 2019 | Ninthoinganba Meetei
|
Foysal Ahmed Fahim Tanvir Hossain Gurkirat Singh
|
2 | Bhutan
|
| 2022 | Gurkirat Singh
|
Gurkirat Singh
|
8 | Sri Lanka
|
| 2023 | Manglenthang Kipgen
|
Jigme Namgyel Gwgmsar Goyary Samir Tamang
|
3 | Bhutan
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Nepal to Host First Ever SAFF U19 Championship From August 20–29". Goal Nepal. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "SAFF U20 Championship 2022: Gurkirat Singh hat-trick powers Indian football team to title". Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Format changed". The Daily Star. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.