SAFF Championship
 | |
| Founded | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Region | SAFF |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions |
 Afghanistan (1st title) |
| Most successful team(s) |
 India (6 titles) |
 2015 SAFF Championship | |
The SAFF Championship, also called the South Asian Football Federation Cup (previously South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup), is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation. Previous names have included the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup in 1993 and South Asian Gold Cup 95 in 1995. Eight teams compete in the South Asian Football Federation Tournament.
History
The countries that compete in the tournaments are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is held every two years.[1]
Afghanistan joined SAFF in 2005.
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship kicked off in Kathmandu in 1997, evolving out of its forerunner, the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Gold Cup.
Since its inception, the biennial competition has developed into South Asia’s premier football tournament, promoting the regional development of the game.
The SAFF Championship 2001 was first postponed from Oct/Nov 2001 to Jan/Feb 2002 due to the suspension of the Bangladeshi FA from FIFA; the tournament finally took place in 2003.
The 2017 edition might be hosted by Maldives.[2]
Tournaments
| Year | Host | Final | Third Place Match | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | 3rd Place | Score | 4th Place | ||
| 1993 Details |
 Pakistan |
India |
[note 1] |  Sri Lanka |
 Nepal |
[note 1] | Pakistan |
| 1995 Details |
Sri Lanka |
Sri Lanka |
1 – 0 | India |
 Bangladesh |
[note 2] | Nepal |
| 1997 Details |
Nepal |
India |
5 – 1 |  Maldives |
Pakistan |
1 – 0 | Sri Lanka |
| 1999 Details |
India |
India |
2 – 0 | Bangladesh |
Maldives |
2 – 0 | Nepal |
| 2003 Details |
Bangladesh |
Bangladesh |
1 – 1 (5 – 3 pen.) |
Maldives |
India |
2 – 1 | Pakistan |
Since the 2005 edition, there was no official third place match. Hence, there were no official third place and fourth place being awarded. Semi-finalists are listed in alphabetical order.
| Year | Host | Final | Losing semi-finalists [2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | |||||
| 2005 Details |
Pakistan |
India |
2 – 0 | Bangladesh |
Maldives and Pakistan | ||
| 2008 Details |
Maldives and Sri Lanka |
Maldives |
1 – 0 | India |
 Bhutan and Sri Lanka | ||
| 2009 Details |
Bangladesh |
India |
0 – 0 (3 – 1 pen.) |
Maldives |
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka | ||
| 2011 Details |
India |
India |
4 – 0 | Afghanistan |
Maldives and Nepal | ||
| 2013 Details |
Nepal |
Afghanistan |
2 – 0 | India |
Maldives and Nepal | ||
| 2015 Details |
India |
TBD | – | TBD | TBD | ||
Performance by team
| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Third-place | Fourth-place | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India |
6 (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011) | 3 (1995, 2008, 2013) | 1 (2003) | – | – |
| Maldives |
1 (2008) | 3 (1997, 2003, 2009) | 1 (1999) | – | 3 (2005, 2011, 2013) |
| Bangladesh |
1 (2003) | 2 (1999, 2005) | 1 (1997) | – | 1 (2009) |
| Sri Lanka |
1 (1995) | 1 (1993) | – | 1 (1997) | 2 (2008, 2009) |
| Afghanistan |
1 (2013) | 1 (2011) | – | – | – |
| Nepal |
– | – | 1 (1993) | 2 (1995, 1999) | 2 (2011, 2013) |
| Pakistan |
– | – | 1 (1997) | 2 (1993, 2003) | 1 (2005) |
| Bhutan |
– | – | – | – | 1 (2008) |
See also
- ASEAN Football Championship
- East Asian Football Championship
- Gulf Cup of Nations
- West Asian Football Federation Championship
- Arab Nations Cup
External links
References
- ↑ "From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship". Givemegoal.com.np. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ↑ http://www.goalnepal.com/news.php?id=15951
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