2026 SAFF Championship

The 2026 SAFF Championship (also known as the Tecno SAFF Championship 2026 due to sponsorship reasons with Tecno Mobile) 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).

India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating non-SAFF team Kuwait in the final in the previous edition.

SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel has said that VAR technology may be included in this 2026 edition.

Host selection This edition was originally expected to be held in a home-and-away format before organizers opted for a centralized tournament in Sri Lanka. In April 2025, the competition was postponed to 2026 due to venue-related logistical issues, the need for adequate preparation periods for the competing nations, and a desire to align the tournament with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, Sri Lanka subsequently withdrew as host due to logistical limitations. During the SAFF Executive Committee meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on 26 January 2026, it was decided that the 2026 SAFF Championship would be hosted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an initial schedule set from 21 September to 6 October 2026.

The tournament was later postponed after India accepted an invitation to compete in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, which overlapped with the original dates. SAFF President Kazi Salahuddin subsequently confirmed that the competition was rescheduled. While Bangladesh had been chosen as the host nation, SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel stated that the official announcement was deferred pending corporate sponsorships. On 21 July 2026, Bangladesh was officially confirmed as the host country, with the tournament scheduled to take place in Dhaka from 4 to 17 November 2026.

Participating nations Altogether six SAFF members have confirmed their participation. Nepal will not be able to participate in this tournament because the suspension imposed by FIFA had not been lifted by the slated deadline of September 30, 2026. CountryAppearancePrevious best performance (H)14th (2003) 18110th (2008) 192 15th (Nine times) 138 13th (2008, 2018) 172 15th (2021) 177 13th (1997) 198 15th (1995) 183

Squads

Venues The National Stadium in Dhaka will host all the matches of this edition.

Dhaka National Stadium Capacity: 22,400

Draw The official logo unveiling ceremony took place in Dhaka on July 25, 2026, while the official draw ceremony concluded in Thimphu, Bhutan, on August 1, 2026.

Draw pot This draw was conducted based on the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking published on 20 July 2026.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 (H) (181) (138) (173) (187) (192) (198)

Draw result +Group A Team A1 A2 A3 +Group B Team B1 B2 B3

Match officials Referees TBD Assistant referees TBD

Group stage All matches will take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. All times are listed in Bangladesh Standard Time (UTC+06:00).

Group A

Group B

Knockout stage

Semi-finals

Final

Champion

Prize money Prize money amounts will be announced in 2026. Position Amount (USD) Champions TBD Runner-up TBD Total TBD

Statistics Goalscorers TBD

Awards Most Valuable PlayerTop ScorerGoalkeeperFair PlayTBDTBDTBDTBD

Official Partners Role / Function Partner Overall Event Operations TSA Sports and Entertainment Host Broadcaster T Sports Ticketing Partner Tickify Kit Supplier (Match officials) Hunkar Hospitality Partner IHG Hotels & Resorts

Broadcasting CountryBroadcaster T SportsUnite8 SportsTBDTBDMycoTBDTBD

2026 SAFF Championship

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