Malaysia and Saudi Arabia invited to participate in 2023 SAFF Championship

The tournament will take place in Bengaluru during the month of June.

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) president Kazi Salahuddin has confirmed the invitation to Saudi FA and Malaysia FA for the SAFF Championship this year.

This will be the 14th edition of the SAFF Championships and is set to be held from 21 June 2023 to 03 July 2023 in India. There has been no confirmation yet regarding the participation of either nation.

The Blue Tigers are the defending champions, who won their eighth title in 2021 by defeating Nepal in the final. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia men’s national football teams are currently ranked 49th and 145th in the FIFA rankings.  

Football Sri Lanka initially expressed their interest to bid for hosting the tournament at the SAFF Executive Committee meeting on 17 October 2021 in Maldives. FIFA suspended Sri Lanka on 21 January 2023 due to which they can neither host the tournament nor participate. It was unofficially said that Nepal will be the host, but on 14 February 2023, India has been officially declared the host (to be held in Bengaluru). 

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia are set to participate in the 2023 SAFF Championships. As mentioned earlier, Sri Lanka is set to miss the tournament due to a FIFA ban.

The Blue Tigers is set to have a busy calendar this year, starting with the SAFF Championships. 

1. SAFF Championships, India

2. Intercontinental Cup

3. Asian Games, China

4. Mederka Cup, Malaysia

5. Kings Cup, Thailand

6. World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

It has been a good start to the 2023 season for the Indian men's national team, having won the recently concluded Tri-Nation Friendlies (consisting of Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic). India defeated Myanmar (1-0) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2-0). The Kyrgyz Republic is ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings and a win against them should give India confidence in the upcoming fixtures.