2025 SAFF Championship

Fifteenth edition of the SAFF Championship

2025 SAFF ChampionshipTournament details

Host country| Sri Lanka
Dates| 22 June – 5 July[1]
Teams| 7 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)| 1 (in 1 host city)

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International football competition

The 2025 SAFF Championship 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). The event will be held in Sri Lanka, from 22 June to 5 July, 2025.[2][3]

India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final in the previous edition.[4]

## Host selection

[edit]

This edition was expected to be held on a home-and-away format.[5] However, it stayed centralized and Sri Lanka were given the hosting rights.[6][7]

## Participating nations

[edit]

All the seven SAFF members will compete.

Country  | Appearance  | Previous best performance  | FIFA ranking
(6 April 2025)

|
|
|

Bangladesh | 13th  | Champions (2003)  |
Bhutan | 9th  | Semi-finals (2008)  |
India | 14th  | Champions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023)  |
Maldives | 12th  | Champions (2008, 2018)  |
Nepal | 14th  | Runners-up (2021)  |
Pakistan | 12th  | Third place (1997)  |
Sri Lanka | 14th  | Champions (1995)  |

### Squads

[edit]

Main article: 2025 SAFF Championship squads

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]

Colombo

Colombo Racecourse | Sugathadasa Stadium
Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 25,000

Colombo

## Draw

[edit]

The draw ceremony will take place on 4 April 2025 in Colombo.[8]

## Group stage

[edit]

### Group A

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | TBD1  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | Advance to knockout stage
2  | TBD2  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0
3  | TBD3  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |
4  | TBD4  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]

### Group B

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | TBD1  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | Advance to knockout stage
2  | TBD2  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0
3  | TBD3  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |
4  | TBD4  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]

## Marketing

[edit]

The marketing rights for the tournament have been awarded to Sportfive until 2029, with the championship occurring biennially.[2][9]

### Sponsorship

[edit]

Title Partner  | Presenting Partners  | Official Sponsors  | Official Performance Partner  | Commercial partner

|
|
|
|

|  |  |  |

* Sportfive

## Broadcasting

[edit]

Country  | Broadcaster  | Reference

|
|

Bangladesh |  |
Bhutan |  |
India |  |
Maldives |  |
Nepal |  |
Pakistan |  |
Sri Lanka |  |

## See also

[edit]

* India portal
* Association football portal

* 2024 SAFF Women's Championship
* 2027 AFC Asian Cup
* 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
* 2025 WAFF Championship
* 2024 ASEAN Championship

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "তাহলে কি একক ভেন্যুতেই হচ্ছে সাফ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ". prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 March 2025.
2. ^ a b khelnow
3. ^ "Format of SAFF Championship likely to change". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
4. ^ "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the penalty hero again as India beat Kuwait to become SAFF champions". ESPN.com. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
5. ^ "SAFF Ex.Co meeting approves home or away format for SAFF Championship 2025". saffederation.org. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
6. ^ "Sri Lanka to host the SAFF Championship 2025 after 17 years . FFSL President Jaswar Umar currently in Nepal confirmed the hosting".
7. ^ "No home-and-away model for the SAFF Championship 2025; the tournament stays centralized".
8. ^ "Sri Lanka to host SAFF Championship". Dailymirror. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
9. ^ Wijewickrama, Navod (8 January 2025). "Ex.Co approves home or away format for SAFF Championship". ThePapare. Retrieved 9 January 2025.

* v
* t
* e

SAFF Championship

Tournaments|

* Pakistan 1993
* Sri Lanka 1995
* Nepal 1997
* India 1999
* Bangladesh 2003
* Pakistan 2005
* Maldives/Sri Lanka 2008
* Bangladesh 2009
* India 2011
* Nepal 2013
* India 2015
* Bangladesh 2018
* Maldives 2021
* India 2023

Squads|

* 1995
* 1997
* 1999
* 2003
* 2005
* 2008
* 2009
* 2011
* 2013
* 2015
* 2018
* 2021
* 2023

Finals|

* 2011
* 2013
* 2015
* 2018
* 2021
* 2023

*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template