South Asian Football Federation

Football association

"SAFF" redirects here; not to be confused with Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

South Asian Football Federation

Map of members

Abbreviation| SAFF
Formation| 1997; 28 years ago (1997)
Type| Football organization
Headquarters| Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Region served

| South Asia
Membership| 7 member associations

Official language

| English

President

|  Kazi Salahuddin

General Secretary

|  Purushottam Kattel

Parent organization

| AFC
Website| saffederation.org

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) is an association of the football playing nations in South Asia. Incorporated in 1997, it is a regional subsidiary of the Asian Football Confederation. The members of the association are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

## History

[edit]

The SAFF was founded in 1997, with Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In 2000, they expanded to 7 members, adding Bhutan. Afghanistan joined in 2005, but left in 2015, to join then newly formed Central Asian Football Association.[1]

## Presidents

[edit]

President  | Years

|

P. P. Lakshmanan | 1997–2001[2][3]
Ganesh Thapa | 2001–2009[4][3]
Kazi Salahuddin | 2009–2016[5][3]
Ranjith Rodrigo (acting) | 2016[6]
Kazi Salahuddin | 2016–present[5][3]

## Member associations

[edit]

Code | Association  | Joined in  | National team  | National league

|
|
|
|

BAN |  Bangladesh | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
BHU |  Bhutan | 2000 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
IND |  India | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
MDV |  Maldives | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
NEP |  Nepal | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
PAK |  Pakistan | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men, Women)
SRI |  Sri Lanka | 1997 |

* Men's
* U23
* U20
* U17
* U15
* F
* BS
* Women's
* W U23
* W U20
* W U17
* F

| (Men)

### Former member

[edit]

Association  | Year  | Note

|
|

Afghanistan | 2005–2015 | Joined CAFA

## Competitions

[edit]

See also: List of association football competitions and FIFA International Match Calendar

The South Asian Football Federation runs several competitions on subcontinental level.

### National teams

[edit]

Men

* SAFF Championship
* SAFF U-23 Championship
* SAFF U-20 Championship
* SAFF U-17 Championship
* South Asian Games

Women

* SAFF Women's Championship
* SAFF U-20 Women's Championship
* SAFF U-17 Women's Championship
* South Asian Games

|

### Clubs

[edit]

Men

* SAFF Club Championship

Women

* SAFF Women's Club Championship

|

The South Asian Football Federation announced in April 2011 that they had decided to start a new tournament for association football club sides, the SAFF Club Championship, with the inaugural edition to be held in Bangladesh from 1–15 September of the same year.[7] The competition was postponed and desires to revive the competition were again announced in July 2013 but the competition has still not started with accusations that India, the prime nation in the competition, were not altogether interested in participating.[8]

Sri Lanka was supposed to host the first edition in August 2014.[9]

A new possible start was set for December 2016 but later announced that 2017 would see the first edition.[10][11] This again was changed and announced that 2018 would be the start of the tournament.[12]

In January 2025, SAFF announced three new competitions: SAFF Club Championship, SAFF Women's Club Championship and the SAFF U-23 Championship.[13]

### Current title holders

[edit]

See also: Portal:Current events/Sports, 2025 in association football, 2025 in sports, and FIFA International Match Calendar

For events postponed or cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, see Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.

Competition  |  | Year  | Champions  | Details  | Runners-up  |  | Next

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

National teams
Championship |  | 2023 | India | Final |  Kuwait |  | 2026
U-23 Championship |  |  |  |  | 2026
U-20 Championship | 2025 | India | Final |  Bangladesh | 2026
U-17 Championship | 2024 | India | Final |  Bangladesh | 2025
Futsal Championship |  |  |  |  |
South Asian Games | 2019 | Nepal | Final |  Bhutan | 2026
Women's national teams
Women's Championship |  | 2024 | Bangladesh | Final |  Nepal |  | 2026
U-20 Women's Championship | 2025 | Bangladesh | Final |  Nepal | 2026
U-16 Women's Championship | 2024 | Bangladesh | Final |  India | 2025
South Asian Games | 2019 | India | Final |  Nepal | 2026
Club teams
Club Championship |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2026
Women's club teams
Women's Club Championship |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2025

### Titles by nation

[edit]

As of 1 June 2025

Nation  | National team  | Women's national team  | Total

|
|
|

SAFF | SAG | U18/U19/U20 | U15/U16/U17 | SAFF | SAG | U18/U19/U20 | U15/U16/U17
India | 9 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2  | 34
Bangladesh | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2  | 14
Nepal | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2  | 8
Pakistan | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 5
Maldives | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 2
Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 1
Bhutan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  | 0 | 0  | 0
Former member
Afghanistan† | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  |  | 1
Invited guest
Russia††  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 1
Kuwait | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0
Lebanon | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0
Total  | 14  | 13  | 6  | 9  | 7  | 3  | 6  | 7  | 65

Note: (†) Member from 2005 till 2015 , (††) The Russian Under-17 team was invited to the Under-17 tournament

## Medals (1993–2025)

[edit]

Last Update: 2025 SAFF U-19 Championship

Exclude Football at the South Asian Games and SAFF Club Championship.

Without Semifinal Losers| Rank| Nation| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|
|

1|  India (IND)| 26| 10| 6| 42
2|  Bangladesh (BAN)| 10| 13| 4| 27
3|  Nepal (NEP)| 4| 12| 8| 24
4|  Maldives (MDV)| 2| 3| 2| 7
5|  Pakistan (PAK)| 1| 2| 1| 4
6|  Afghanistan (AFG)| 1| 2| 0| 3
7|  Sri Lanka (SRI)| 1| 1| 0| 2
8|  Russia (RUS)| 1| 0| 0| 1
9|  Kuwait (KUW)| 0| 1| 0| 1
10|  Bhutan (BHU)| 0| 0| 3| 3
Totals (10 entries)| 46| 44| 24| 114

With Semifinal Losers| Rank| Nation| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|
|

1|  India (IND)| 26| 10| 7| 43
2|  Bangladesh (BAN)| 10| 13| 12| 35
3|  Nepal (NEP)| 4| 12| 16| 32
4|  Maldives (MDV)| 2| 3| 9| 14
5|  Pakistan (PAK)| 1| 2| 5| 8
6|  Afghanistan (AFG)| 1| 2| 2| 5
7|  Sri Lanka (SRI)| 1| 1| 7| 9
8|  Russia (RUS)| 1| 0| 0| 1
9|  Kuwait (KUW)| 0| 1| 0| 1
10|  Bhutan (BHU)| 0| 0| 6| 6
11|  Lebanon (LBN)| 0| 0| 1| 1
Totals (11 entries)| 46| 44| 65| 155

* Note:  Bangladesh and  India shared gold in 2024 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship.

## SAFF teams at continental and global tournaments

[edit]

Legend

* 1st – Champion
* 2nd – Runner-up
* 3rd – Third place
* 4th – Fourth place
* QF – Quarterfinals
* R16 – Round of 16
* GS – Group stage
* 1S – First knockout stage
* • — Did not qualify
* •• — Qualified but withdrew
* × — Did not enter / withdrawn / banned / disqualified
* ‡ — Tournament was unavailable for the nation that year

* — Hosts

For each tournament, the flag of the host country and the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.

### Senior

[edit]

#### Men's

[edit]

##### FIFA World Cup

[edit]

Main article: National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup

See also: Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record

Team  | 1930

(13)  | 1934

(16)  | 1938

(15)  | 1950

(13)  | 1954

(16)  | 1958

(16)  | 1962

(16)  | 1966

(16)  | 1970

(16)  | 1974

(16)  | 1978

(16)  | 1982

(24)  | 1986

(24)  | 1990

(24)  | 1994

(24)  | 1998

(32)  | 2002

(32)  | 2006

(32)  | 2010

(32)  | 2014

(32)  | 2018

(32)  | 2022

(32)  | 2026

(48)  | 2030

(48)  | 2034

(48)  | Total  | Attempts
Bangladesh | Did not exist | Not a FIFA member | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 11
Bhutan | Did not exist | Not a FIFA member | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 3
India | Not a FIFA member | ••  | ‡  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 11
Maldives | Did not exist | Not a FIFA member | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 8
Nepal | Did not exist | Not a FIFA member | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | ×  | •  | •  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 9
Pakistan | Did not exist | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 9
Sri Lanka | Did not exist | ‡  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | TBD  | TBD  | 0  | 9
Former member
Afghanistan | Not a FIFA member | Not a SAFF member  | •  | •  | •  | Not a SAFF member | 0  | 3

##### AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  |
1956
(4)  |
1960
(4)  |
1964
(4)  |
1968
(5)  |
1972
(6)  |
1976
(6)  |
1980
(10)  |
1984
(10)  |
1988
(10)  |
1992
(8)  |
1996
(12)  |
2000
(12)  |
2004
(16)  |

2007
(16)  |
2011
(16)  |
2015
(16)  |
2019
(24)  |
2023
(24)  |
2027
(24)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | Part of  Pakistan | × | × | GS | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD  | 1
India | × | • | 2nd | • | × | × | × | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | GS | • | GS | GS | TBD  | 5

##### AFC Challenge Cup

[edit]

| Teams  |
2006
(16) |
2008
(8) |
2010
(8) |
2012
(8) |
2014
(8) | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | QF  | •  | GS  | •  | •  | 2
Bhutan | GS  | •  | •  | •  | •  | 1
India | QF  | 1st | GS  | GS  | •  | 4
Maldives | ‡  | ‡  | •  | GS  | 3rd | 2
Nepal | SF | GS  | •  | GS  | •  | 3
Pakistan | GS  | •  | •  | •  | •  | 1
Sri Lanka | 2nd | GS  | GS  | •  | •  | 3
Former member
Afghanistan | GS  | GS  | ×  | •  | 4th | 3

##### AFC Solidarity Cup

[edit]

| Teams  |
2016
(7) | Total

|
|

Bangladesh | ×  | 0
Bhutan | ‡  | 0
Nepal | 1st | 1
Pakistan | ×  | 0
Sri Lanka | GS  | 1

##### Asian Games men's football tournament

[edit]

Football at the Asian Games was a senior tournament until 1998.
Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
Team  |
1951
(6) |
1954
(12) |
1958
(14) |
1962
(8) |
1966
(11) |
1970
(10) |
1974
(15) |
1978
(14) |
1982
(16) |
1986
(18) |
1990
(14) |
1994
(19) |
1998
(23) |
2002
(24) |
2006
(28) |
2010
(24) |
2014
(29) |
2018
(25) |
2022
(23) |
2026
(TBA) | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | Did not exist |  | 13th | 12th | 14th | 13th |  | DQ | 20th | 24th | 24th | 20th | 15th | 20th |  | 10
India | 1st | 8th | 4th | 1st | 8th | 3rd | 13th | 8th | 6th | 16th | DQ | DQ | 16th | 10th | 14th | 14th | 26th |  | 9th |  | 16
Maldives | Did not exist |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 20th | 22nd | 20th | 17th | 21st |  |  |  | 5
Nepal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16th | 18th |  | 18th | 17th |  |  |  | 29th | 22nd |  |  | 6
Pakistan |  | 6th | 9th |  |  |  | 11th |  |  | 17th | 14th |  |  | 23rd | 21st | 22nd | 24th | 17th |  |  | 10
Former member
Afghanistan | Not a SAFF member |  |  | 25th | Not a SAFF member | 1

#### Women's

[edit]

##### AFC Women's Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  |
1975
(6)  |
1977
(6)  |
1980
(6)  |
1981
(8)  |
1983
(6)  |
1986
(7)  |
1989
(8)  |
1991
(9)  |
1993
(8)  |
1995
(11)  |
1997
(11)  |
1999
(15)  |
2001
(14)  |
2003
(14)  |
2006
(9)  |
2008
(8)  |
2010
(8)  |
2014
(8)  |
2018
(8)  |
2022
(12)  |
2026
(12)  |
2029
(12)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | ×  | •  | Q  | TBD  | 1
India | ×  | ×  | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | GS  | GS  | GS  | GS  | GS  | •  | •  | •  | •  | •  | ••[a] | Q  | TBD  | 10
Nepal | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | GS  | GS  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | GS  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | ×  | •  | •  | TBD  | 3

1. ^ India failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their match of the group stage against Chinese Taipei due to them having only fewer than 13 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19. They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them were considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[14]

##### Asian Games Women's football tournament

[edit]

Team  |
1990
(6) |
1994
(4) |
1998
(8) |
2002
(6) |
2006
(8) |
2010
(7) |
2014
(11) |
2018
(11) |
2022
(16) |
2026
(TBA) | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 12th  |  | 1
India |  |  | 8th |  |  |  | 9th |  | 13th  |  | 3
Maldives |  |  |  |  | DQ |  | 11th | 10th |  |  | 2
Nepal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 11th  |  | 1

### Junior

[edit]

#### Men's U-20

[edit]

##### AFC U-20 Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  |
1959 |
1960 |
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
1964 |
1965 |
1966 |
1967 |
1968 |
1969 |
1970 |
1971 |
1972 |
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1980 |
1982

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | GS | × | GS | GS  | 5th  | ×
India | × | × | × | × | GS | GS | GS | QF | QF | GS | × | × | QF | GS | GS | 1st | GS | GS | QF | GS  | •  | •
Nepal | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | GS | GS | × | GS | × | × | × | ×  | •  | •
Pakistan | × | × | × | GS | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | GS | × | × | × | × | ×  | ×  | •
Sri Lanka | 8th | × | GS | × | GS | × | × | GS | QF | × | GS | GS | × | × | × | × | × | GS | × | GS  | ×  | ×
Team |
1985 |
1986 |
1988 |
1990 |
1992 |
1994 |
1996 |
1998 |
2000 |
2002 |
2004 |
2006 |
2008 |
2010 |
2012 |
2014 |
2016 |
2018 |
2023 |
2025 | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | • | × | • | • | • | × | GS | • | • | GS | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | •  | • | 6
India | • | GS | × | GS | GS | × | GS | GS | • | QF | GS | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | •  | • | 22
Nepal | × | • | × | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | GS | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | •  | • | 4
Pakistan | • | • | • | • | • | × | • | • | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | × | × | × | ×  | × | 3
Sri Lanka | × | GS | × | • | × | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | × | • | × | × | • | • | •  | • | 10

#### Men's U-17

[edit]

##### FIFA U-17 World Cup

[edit]

Team  | 1985

(16)  | 1987

(16)  | 1989

(16)  | 1991

(16)  | 1993

(16)  | 1995

(16)  | 1997

(16)  | 1999

(16)  | 2001

(16)  | 2003

(16)  | 2005

(16)  | 2007

(24)  | 2009

(24)  | 2011

(24)  | 2013

(24)  | 2015

(24)  | 2017

(24)  | 2019

(24)  | 2023

(24)  | 2025

(48)  | 2026

(48)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

India | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R1 | • | • | • | TBD | 1

##### AFC U-17 Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  |
1985 |
1986 |
1988 |
1990 |
1992 |
1994 |
1996 |
1998 |
2000 |
2002 |
2004 |
2006 |
2008 |
2010 |
2012 |
2014 |
2016 |
2018 |
2023 |
2025 |
2026 | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | × | GS | • | • | GS | • | • | GS | GS | × | GS | GS | DQ | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | TBD | 6
India | • | • | • | GS | • | • | GS | • | • | QF | GS | • | GS | • | GS | • | GS | QF | GS | • | TBD | 9
Nepal | • | × | • | • | • | × | × | • | GS | × | • | GS | • | • | • | GS | × | • | • | • | TBD | 3
Pakistan | × | × | × | × | • | × | × | • | • | GS | × | • | • | • | • | • | × | × | • | × | TBD | 1

#### Women's U-20

[edit]

##### AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  | 2002

(12)  | 2004

(15)  | 2006

(8)  | 2007

(8)  | 2009

(8)  | 2011

(6)  | 2013

(6)  | 2015

(8)  | 2017

(8)  | 2019

(8)  | 2024

(8)  | 2026

(12)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

India | GS | QF | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | 3
Nepal | • | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | 1

#### Women's U-17

[edit]

##### FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

[edit]

Team  |
2008
(16)  |
2010
(16)  |
2012
(16)  |
2014
(16)  |
2016
(16)  |
2018
(16)  |
2022
(16)  |
2024
(16)  |
2025
(24)  |
2026
(24)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

India | • | • | • | • | • | • | GS | • | • | TBD | 1

##### AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup

[edit]

Team  | 2005

(11)  | 2007

(6)  | 2009

(8)  | 2011

(6)  | 2013

(12)  | 2015

(8)  | 2017

(8)  | 2019

(8)  | 2024

(8)  | 2026

(12)  | 2027

(12)  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bangladesh | GS | × | × | × | × | • | GS | GS | • | TBD | TBD | 3
India | GS | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | 1

## Rankings

[edit]

Rankings are calculated by FIFA.

### Men's national teams

[edit]

| SAFF  | AFC | FIFA | Country  | Points  | +/−  | Highest  | Lowest

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | 24 | 133 |  India | 1113.22  |  | 94  | 173
2 | 33 | 171 |  Maldives | 965.75  |  | 124  | 183
3 | 35 | 176 |  Nepal | 923.25  |  | 124  | 196
4 | 38 | 184 |  Bangladesh | 899.01  |  | 110  | 197
5 | 40 | 186 |  Bhutan | 888.94  |  | 159  | 209
6 | 44 | 196 |  Sri Lanka | 855.13  |  | 122  | 207
7 | 45 | 201 |  Pakistan | 829.41  |  | 141  | 205

* Last updated: 10 July 2025[15]

Leading men's team:

### Women's national teams

[edit]

| SAFF  | AFC | FIFA | Country  | Points  | +/−  | Highest  | Lowest

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | 12 | 63 |  India | 1408.29  |  | 49  | 70
2 | 16 | 87 |  Nepal | 1248.26  |  | 87  | 119
3 | 19 | 104 |  Bangladesh | 1179.87  |  | 100  | 147
4 | 31 | 154 |  Pakistan | 1007.24  |  | 106  | 161
5 | 35 | 162 |  Sri Lanka | 930.2  |  | 101  | 162
6 | 36 | 163 |  Bhutan | 920.15  |  | 113  | 178
7 | 38 | 165 |  Maldives | 908.71  |  | 91  | 165

* Last updated: 7 August 2025[16]

Leading women's team:

## Individual statistics

[edit]

### Top goalscorer in men's football

[edit]

As of 1 September 2025

#### By number of goals

[edit]

(Players with at least 20 goals)

| #  | Name  | Career  | Goals  | Caps  | Avg/Game

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Sunil Chhetri (list) | 2005–2025  | 95  | 155  | 0.61
2  |  Ali Ashfaq (list) | 2003–2023  | 58  | 98  | 0.59
3  |  Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (list) | 1992–2004  | 29  | 70  | 0.41
4  |  Kasun Jayasuriya (list) | 2000–2009  | 27  | 55  | 0.49
Baichung Bhutia (list) | 1995–2011  | 82  | 0.33
6  |  Jeje Lalpekhlua (list) | 2009–2019  | 23  | 54  | 0.41
Shabbir Ali | 1974–1984  | 66  | 0.35

#### By country

[edit]

(only highest goalscorers from each country)

| #  | Name  | Career  | Goals  | Caps  | Avg/Game

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Sunil Chhetri (list) | 2005–2025  | 95  | 155  | 0.61
2  |  Ali Ashfaq (list) | 2003–2023  | 58  | 98  | 0.59
3  |  Kasun Jayasuriya (list) | 2000–2009  | 27  | 55  | 0.49
4  |  Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Chunnu (list) | 1975–1985  | 17  | 50  | 0.34
5  |  Nirajan Rayamajhi (list) | 2002–2010  | 13  | 21  | 0.63
Hari Khadka (list) | 1995–2006  | 13  | 39  | 0.33
Anjan Bista (list) | 2014–Present  | 13  | 60  | 0.2
6  |  Chencho Gyeltshen (list) | 2011–present  | 13  | 44  | 0.3
7  |  Muhammad Essa (list) | 2000–2009  | 11  | 37  | 0.3

Players in bold are active international players.

### Top goalscorer in women's football

[edit]

As of 20 June 2024

#### By number of goals

[edit]

(Players with at least 30 goals)

| #  | Name  | Career  | Goals  | Caps  | Avg/Game

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Sabitra Bhandari | 2014–present  | 53  | 46  | 1.15
2  |  Bala Devi | 2007–2024  | 49  | 59  | 0.81
3  |  Sasmita Malik | 2007–2017  | 40  | 38  | 1.05
4  |  Sabina Khatun | 2009–present  | 34  | 53  | 0.64
5  |  Yumnam Kamala Devi | 2011–2022  | 33  | 51  | 0.65

#### By country

[edit]

(only highest goalscorers from each country)

| #  | Name  | Career  | Goals  | Caps  | Avg/Game

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Sabitra Bhandari | 2014–present  | 53  | 46  | 1.15
2  |  Bala Devi | 2007–2024  | 49  | 59  | 0.81
3  |  Sabina Khatun | 2009–present  | 34  | 53  | 0.64

Players in bold are active international players.

## See also

[edit]

* FIFA
* Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
* ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)
* East Asian Football Federation (EAFF)
* Central Asian Football Association (CAFA)
* West Asian Football Federation (WAFF)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Afghanistan to play SAFF Championship for the last time in 2015". 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
2. ^ "News for the month of March 1999". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
3. ^ a b c d "About US". saffederation.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
4. ^ "Ganesh Thapa no longer SAFF president". República Sports. Nepal Republic Media. 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
5. ^ a b "Salahuddin new SAFF president | the Daily Star". 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
6. ^ "Rodrigo Replaces Salahuddin as Acting President of SAFF - Daily Sports". 8 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
7. ^ "Bangladesh to host inaugural SAFF club championship". Zeenews.india.com. 18 April 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
8. ^ "Salauddin laments India's lack of initiative towards SAFF Club Championship". Goal India. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
9. ^ "First ever South Asian Club Championship to be played in Sri Lanka". SouthAsiaFootball.com. 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
10. ^ "Ranjith Rodrigo appointed acting President of SAFF". dailynews.lk. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
11. ^ "Bangladesh to host SAFF Suzuki Cup". maldivessoccer.com. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
12. ^ "SAFF to hold biennial club tournament from 2018". Dawn. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
13. ^ "SAFF Ex. Co meeting approves home or away format for SAFF Championship 2025". saffederation.org. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
14. ^ "Latest update on the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022". Asian Football Confederation. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
15. ^ "The FIFA World Ranking (Men)". FIFA. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
16. ^ "The FIFA World Ranking (Women)". FIFA. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* South Asian Football Federation Cup at RSSSF
* South Asia Football – SAFF website (archived)

* 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
* Sri Lanka 2026

Squads|

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

Finals|

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

* v
* t
* e

SAFF U-18/U-19/U-20 Championship

Tournaments|

* Nepal 2015
* Bhutan 2017
* Nepal 2019
* India 2022
* Nepal 2023
* Nepal 2024
* India 2025

Squads|

* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* India 2022
* Nepal 2023
* Nepal 2024
* India 2025

Participating nations|

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

* v
* t
* e

SAFF U-15/U-16/U-17 Championship

Tournaments|

* Nepal 2011
* Nepal 2013
* Bangladesh 2015
* Nepal 2017
* Nepal 2018
* India 2019
* Sri Lanka 2022
* Bhutan 2023
* Bhutan 2024
* Sri Lanka 2025

Participating nations|

* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* India
* Nepal
* Maldives
* Pakistan
* Sri Lanka
* Afghanistan (Former member)

* v
* t
* e

SAFF U-20 Women's Championship

Tournaments|

* Bhutan 2018
* Bangladesh 2021
* India 2022
* Bangladesh 2023
* Bangladesh 2024
* Bangladesh 2025

Participating nations|

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

* v
* t
* e

SAFF U-17 Women's Championship

Tournaments|

* Bangladesh 2017
* Bhutan 2018
* Bhutan 2019
* Bangladesh 2022
* Bangladesh 2023
* Nepal 2024
* Bhutan 2025

Participating nations|

* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* India
* Nepal
* Maldives
* Pakistan
* Sri Lanka
* Russia (Guest team)

* v
* t
* e

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)

International competitions|

* SAFF Championship
* South Asian Games
* Women's Championship
* SAFF Club Championship
* SAFF Women's Club Championship

Youth competitions|

* U-20 Championship
* U-17 Championship
* U-20 Women's Championship
* U-17 Women's Championship

Member associations|

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

Football in South Asian countries|

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

National teams|

* Bangladesh
* M
* W
* Bhutan
* M
* W
* India
* M
* W
* Maldives
* M
* W
* Nepal
* M
* W
* Pakistan
* M
* W
* Sri Lanka
* M
* W

Domestic leagues|

* Bangladesh
* M
* W
* Bhutan
* M
* India
* M
* W
* Maldives
* M
* Nepal
* M
* W
* Pakistan
* M
* W
* Sri Lanka
* M

* SAFF
* FIFA
* AFC

* v
* t
* e

National men's football teams of Asia (AFC)

AFC Asian Cup

West Asia (WAFF)|

* Bahrain
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Oman
* Palestine
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* United Arab Emirates
* Yemen

Central Asia (CAFA)|

* Afghanistan
* Iran
* Kyrgyzstan
* Tajikistan
* Turkmenistan
* Uzbekistan

South Asia (SAFF)|

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

East Asia (EAFF)|

* China
* Chinese Taipei1
* Guam
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* Macau
* Mongolia
* North Korea
* Northern Mariana Islands2
* South Korea

Southeast Asia (AFF)|

* Australia
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* Indonesia
* Laos
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Vietnam

Defunct|

* Malaya
* Manchukuo
* North Vietnam
* South Vietnam
* South Yemen

Former|

* Israel (moved to UEFA in 1994)
* Kazakhstan (moved to UEFA in 2002)
* New Zealand (formed the OFC in 1966)

* 1 Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, competes as "Chinese Taipei"
* 2 Not a member of FIFA

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