2023 SAFF Championship

Fourteenth edition of the SAFF Championship

2023 SAFF Championship

Tournament details
Host country| India
Dates| 21 June – 4 July
Teams| 8 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)| 1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions|  India (9th title)
Runners-up|  Kuwait
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 15
Goals scored| 38 (2.53 per match)
Attendance| 93,993 (6,266 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Sunil Chhetri (5 goals)
Best player(s)|  Sunil Chhetri
Best goalkeeper|  Anisur Rahman Zico
Fair play award|  Nepal

<- 2021

2026 ->

International football competition

The 2023 SAFF Championship (known as the 2023 Bangabandhu SAFF Championship for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The event was held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India from 21 June to 4 July 2023.

India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final.[2][3]

## Host selection

[edit]

At the SAFF Executive Committee meeting, held on 17 October 2021 in the Maldives, Football Sri Lanka expressed their interest to bid for hosting the tournament.[4] However, FIFA suspended Sri Lanka on 21 January 2023, which ceased them from hosting and participation in any football tournament.[5]

Later on 30 January 2023, SAFF unofficially announced that only Nepal had applied for hosting rights till the deadline which is 29 January 2023.[6] The host was supposed to be announced following the SAFF members' meeting during 33rd AFC Congress in Manama, Bahrain on 1 February 2023. On 14 February 2023, India were declared as the hosts of the 14th edition of the championship.[7][8] On 19 March 2023, AIFF announced Bangalore as the host city for SAFF Championship 2023.[9]

## Participating nations

[edit]

Football Sri Lanka was sanctioned by FIFA on 21 January 2023, which made them ineligible for participation in the competition.[5] Kuwait and Lebanon were invited as guest teams with a view to increase the number of teams for the championship and make the event more competitive.[10]

Country  | Appearance  | Previous best performance  | FIFA ranking
(6 April 2023)[11]

|
|
|

Bangladesh | 13th  | Champions (2003)  | 192
Bhutan | 9th  | Semi-finals (2008)  | 185
India | 14th  | Champions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021)  | 101
Kuwait | 1st  | Debut (invitee)  | 143
Lebanon | 1st  | Debut (invitee)  | 99
Maldives | 12th  | Champions (2008, 2018)  | 154
Nepal | 14th  | Runners-up (2021)  | 174
Pakistan | 12th  | Third place (1997)  | 195

### Squads

[edit]

Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.

## Venue

[edit]

The Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, Karnataka, India hosted all the matches.[9]

Bangalore |

Bangalore

|

Sree Kanteerava Stadium
12°58′10.92″N 77°35′36.24″E﻿ / ﻿12.9697000°N 77.5934000°E﻿ / 12.9697000; 77.5934000﻿ (Bangalore)
Capacity: 25,810

## Draw

[edit]

The draw ceremony of this tournament was held on 17 May 2023 at 12:30 IST in New Delhi, India.[12]

Pot 1  | Pot 2  | Pot 3  | Pot 4

|
|
|

Lebanon (99)
India (101) (hosts) |  Kuwait (143)
Maldives (154)  |  Nepal (174)
Bhutan (185)  |  Bangladesh (192)
Pakistan (195)

### Draw result

[edit]

Group A | Pos | Team

|

A1  |  India
A2  |  Kuwait
A3  |  Nepal
A4  |  Pakistan
|  |  Group B | Pos | Team

|

B1  |  Lebanon
B2  |  Maldives
B3  |  Bhutan
B4  |  Bangladesh

## Officiating

[edit]

Referees

* Md Alamgir Sarker
* Pema Tshewang
* Crystal John
* Sinan Hussain
* Prajwol Chhetri
* Irshad Ul Haq

Assistant referees

* Mohammad Nuruzzaman
* Phurpa Wangchuk
* S Manikandan
* Sumanta Dutta
* Ahmed Hassan
* Nani Ram Thapa Magar

## Group stage

[edit]

All times are local, IST (UTC+5:30).

### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Kuwait | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 8  | 2  | +6  | 7  | Qualified for Semi-finals
2  |  India (H) | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 7  | 1  | +6  | 7
3  |  Nepal | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 2  | 5  | −3  | 3  |
4  |  Pakistan | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0  | 9  | −9  | 0

Source: Global Sports Archive
(H) Hosts

21 June 2023 (2023-06-21)

15:30

Kuwait | 3–1|  Nepal

|
|

* El Ebrahim 23'
* Al-Khaldi 42'
* Daham 65' (pen.)

| Report | Bista 69'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 1,200

Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)

21 June 2023 (2023-06-21)

19:30

India | 4–0|  Pakistan

|
|

* Chhetri 10', 16' (pen.), 75' (pen.)
* Kumam 81'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 22,860

Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

* * *

24 June 2023 (2023-06-24)

15:30

Pakistan | 0–4|  Kuwait

|
|

| Report |

* Al-Enezi 10'
* Al-Faneeni 17', 45+1'
* Al-Rasheedi 69'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 309

Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)

24 June 2023 (2023-06-24)

19:30

Nepal | 0–2|  India

|
|

| Report |

* Chhetri 62'
* N. M. Singh 70'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 12,642

Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

* * *

27 June 2023 (2023-06-27)

15:30

Nepal | 1–0|  Pakistan

|
|

* Chaudhary 80'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 250

Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

27 June 2023 (2023-06-27)

19:30

India | 1–1|  Kuwait

|
|

* Chhetri 45+2'

| Report |

* A. Ali 90+2' (o.g.)

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 9,562

Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)

### Group B

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Lebanon | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 7  | 1  | +6  | 9  | Qualified for Semi-finals
2  |  Bangladesh | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 6  | 4  | +2  | 6
3  |  Maldives | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 4  | −1  | 3  |
4  |  Bhutan | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 9  | −7  | 0

Source: Global Sports Archive

22 June 2023 (2023-06-22)

15:30

Lebanon | 2–0|  Bangladesh

|
|

* Maatouk 80'
* Bader 90+6'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 50

Referee: Crystal John (India)

22 June 2023 (2023-06-22)

19:30

Maldives | 2–0|  Bhutan

|
|

* Mohamed 6' (pen.)
* N. Hassan 90'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 200

Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)

* * *

25 June 2023 (2023-06-25)

15:30

Bangladesh | 3–1|  Maldives

|
|

* Rakib 42'
* Kazi 67'
* Morsalin 90'

| Report |

* Hamza 18'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 100

Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

25 June 2023 (2023-06-25)

19:30

Bhutan | 1–4|  Lebanon

|
|

* Gyeltshen 79'

| Report |

* Sadek 11'
* Al Haj 23'
* Bader 35'
* M. Zein 42'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 250

Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)

* * *

28 June 2023 (2023-06-28)

15:30

Lebanon | 1–0|  Maldives

|
|

* Maatouk 24'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 50

Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)

28 June 2023 (2023-06-28)

19:30

Bhutan | 1–3|  Bangladesh

|
|

* Dorji 12'

| Report |

* Morsalin 21'
* Jigme 31' (o.g.)
* Rakib 36'

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Referee: Crystal John (India)

## Knockout stage

[edit]

### Bracket

[edit]

| Semi-finals| | Final

|
|
|

|  |  |  |  |  |

|  1 July 2023| |

|  Kuwait (a.e.t.)| 1

| 4 July 2023

|  Bangladesh| 0 |

|  Kuwait| 1 (4)

|  1 July 2023

| |  India (p)| 1 (5)

|  Lebanon| 0 (2)

|  India (p)| 0 (4) |

### Semi-finals

[edit]

1 July 2023 (2023-07-01)

15:00

Kuwait | 1–0 (a.e.t.)|  Bangladesh

|
|

* Al-Buloushi 105+2'

| Report |

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 500

Referee: Crystal John (India)

1 July 2023 (2023-07-01)

19:30

Lebanon | 0–0 (a.e.t.)|  India

|
|

| Report |
Penalties

* Maatouk
* Shour
* Sadek
* Bader

| 2–4 |

* Chhetri
* A. Ali
* Mahesh
* Udanta

Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore

Attendance: 19,640

Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

### Final

[edit]

Main article: 2023 SAFF Championship final

4 July 2023 (2023-07-04)

19:30

Kuwait | 1–1 (a.e.t.)|  India

|
|

* Khaldi 14'

| Report |

* Chhangte 36'

Penalties

* Daham
* Otaibi
* Dhaferi
* Naji
* Khaldi
* Hajeyah

| 4–5 |

* Chhetri
* Jhingan
* Chhangte
* Udanta
* S. Bose
* Mahesh

Sree Kantiramva Stadium, Bengaluru

Attendance: 24,563

Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

## Statistics

[edit]

### Goalscorers

[edit]

There were 38 goals scored in 15 matches, for an average of 2.53 goals per match.

5 goals

* Sunil Chhetri

2 goals

* Rakib Hossain
* Shekh Morsalin
* Mobarak Al-Faneeni
* Shabaib Al-Khaldi
* Khalil Bader
* Hassan Maatouk
* Hamza Mohamed

1 goal

* Tariq Kazi
* Tsenda Dorji
* Chencho Gyeltshen
* Udanta Singh Kumam
* Naorem Mahesh Singh
* Lallianzuala Chhangte
* Abdullah Al-Buloushi
* Mohammad Daham
* Khalid El Ebrahim
* Hasan Al-Enezi
* Eid Naser Al-Rasheedi
* Ali Al Haj
* Mohamad Omar Sadek
* Mahdi Zein
* Naiz Hassan
* Anjan Bista
* Aashish Chaudhary

1 own goal

* Phuntsho Jigme (against Bangladesh)
* Anwar Ali (against Kuwait)

### Awards

[edit]

Most Valuable Player  | Top Scorer  | Goalkeeper  | Fair Play

|
|
|

Sunil Chhetri |  Sunil Chhetri (5 goals)  |  Anisur Rahman Zico |  Nepal

## Champion

[edit]

SAFF Championship 2023

India
9th title

## Prize money

[edit]

Prize money amounts were announced in 2023.[13]

Position  | Amount (USD)

|

Champions  | 50,000
Runner-up  | 25,000
Total  | 75,000

## Broadcasting

[edit]

Country  | Broadcaster  | Ref.

|
|

Bangladesh | T Sports | [1]
India | DD Bharati, DD Sports, FanCode | [14]
Kuwait | Kuwait Television | [15]
Lebanon | LBCI | [16]
Maldives | ICE TV, Yes TV | [17][18]
Nepal | Kantipur Television | [19][20]
Pakistan | Geo Super, A Sports | [21]

## See also

[edit]

* India portal
* Association football portal

* 2022 SAFF Women's Championship
* 2022 AFF Championship
* 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
* 2023 CAFA Nations Cup
* 2023 WAFF Championship
* 2023 AFC Asian Cup
* 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Bashundhara Toiletries Limited becomes title sponsor of SAFF Championship 2023". daily-sun.com. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
2. ^ "SAFF Championship 2021 Final: India defeats Nepal 3-0 to lift title for the eighth time". Sportstar. The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
3. ^ Rawat, Akhil (5 July 2023). "Double, double toil and treble: Blue Tigers bask in SAFF C'ship glory". AIFF. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
4. ^ Premlal, Sushil (10 October 2021). "FSL keen to host 2023 SAFF Tourney". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
5. ^ a b "Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice" (PDF). digitalhub.fifa.com. Zürich. 22 January 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
6. ^ "সাফের স্বাগতিক হতে শুধু নেপালের আবেদন". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 29 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
7. ^ "SAFF confirms Sports Partner International as the official commercial partner". saffederation.org. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
8. ^ "SAFF Championship 2023: All you need to know, dates, schedule, match timings, venue". Sportstar. Chennai: The Hindu. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
9. ^ a b "Bengaluru to host 2023 SAFF Championship". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
10. ^ "Lebanon to compete in SAFF Championship". saffederation.org. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
11. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
12. ^ Chatterjee, Triyasha (15 May 2023). "SAFF Championship 2023 Draw on May 17, Indian Football Team eye consecutive titles - Follow SAFF 2023 LIVE". www.insidesport.in. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
13. ^ "SAFF Championship 2023 Awards And Winners". India TV News. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
14. ^ "India vs Pakistan, SAFF Championship live streaming; When and where to watch football match live". India Today. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
15. ^ تلفزيون دولة الكويت [@KwtTelevision] (21 June 2023). للإعلان عبر تلفزيون دولة الكويت على القناة الثالثة الرياضية خلال مباريات بطولة كأس اتحاد جنوب اسيا لكرة القدم 2023 ، التواصل مع ادارة الاعلان التجاري والتسويق whatsapp : +965 22326688 (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 - via Twitter.
16. ^ LBCI TV [@LBCILebanon] (20 June 2023). تابعوا مباراة منتخب لبنان ضد بنغلادش ضمن بطولة إتحاد جنوب آسيا لكرة القدم... الخميس الساعة 1 بعد الظهر على شاشة الـLBCI [Watch the Lebanon national team match against Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship... Thursday at 1:00 pm on LBCI] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 - via Twitter.
17. ^ @ICEmdv (20 June 2023). "The most awaited SAFF 2023 is here, brought to you by @medianetmv in partnership with @psm_mkt" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 - via Twitter.
18. ^ @YES_Maldives (20 June 2023). "Get ready, Maldives! SAFF 2023 is here! @psm_mkt in partnership with @medianetmv brings you the action! Stay tuned for matches, goals, and unforgettable moments. Are you ready?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 - via Twitter.
19. ^ "Kantipur TV to broadcast SAFF Championship 2023 Live in Nepal". dailylivescores.com. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
20. ^ "SAFF Championship 2023: Nepal vs India: Where and how to watch in India and Nepal?". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
21. ^ Nasir, Saad (27 June 2023). "How to Watch Pakistan Vs. Nepal SAFF Championship: Live Stream and Timings". propakistani.pk. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.

* v
* t
* e

SAFF Championship

Tournaments|

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Squads|

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Finals|

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* v
* t
* e

2022–23 in Asian football (AFC)

« 2021

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Domestic leagues|

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Domestic cups|

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* 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
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* 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
* 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
* 25th Arabian Gulf Cup
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*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[Ref.]: Reference