SAFF executive committee announce inaugural SAFF club championship

The organization also announced that the SAFF Women’s Club Competition is on the cards.

The executive committee of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) decided on the number of teams and slots for the member nation for the organization’s first-ever club competition, scheduled for 2026, in a meeting held on 8th January 2025 in Kathmandu.

As per a statement released, the executive committee decided that there will be eight teams in the SAFF club competition, and the country ranked highest in the AFC Club Rankings shall have two slots.

A total of seven nations, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal will participate in this competition. Based on the current scenario, India may receive two slots as per the current AFC Club Rankings. India is currently ranked 17th in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking for 2023/24.

Other decisions taken at the executive committee meeting

The Executive Committee also took a major decision on the upcoming SAFF Championship 2025. The calendar for the competitions that the federation will host was also made public. According to the statement released, the SAFF Championship 2025 will be held in a home-and-away format from 15th June to 25th July.

The Indian football team is the defending champion of the competition that took place in the Maldives, 2023. In the final match, the Blue Tiger was crowned champion after defeating Kuwait in a penalty shootout.

Additionally, the executive committee approved youth competitions, such as the U-19 Championship, scheduled for 8th–18th May 2025, the U-17 Women’s Championship from 14th–24th September 2025, the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship from 11th–21st July 2025, and the U-17 Championship from 17th–27th October 2025.

“A women’s club competition is also on the cards for 2025. Another approved competition is the SAFF U-23 Championship, starting in 2026,” stated SAFF.

The first-ever SAFF club competition was originally scheduled to take place at a centralized venue. A home-and-away format was chosen with a timeframe of six to seven months. Commenting on the frame, Anwarul Huq, the General Secretary, stated, “We will try our best to hold the championship in a home-and-away format, but if any issues arise later, we shall conduct it in a centralized format this year.”

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