The 2026 SAFF Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the SAFF Women's Championship, an international football competition for women's national teams from the South Asia region, organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament was played in India from 25 May to 6 June 2026 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa.
Bangladesh were the defending champions. On 6 June 2026, India beat Bangladesh by 3–1 in the final, winning the championship for the sixth time. India last won the title in the 2019 edition.
Participating teams The following six teams confirmed their participation in the tournament. Pakistan skipped this edition in India due to strenuous relations with the hosts.
Country Appearance Previous best performance 8th Champions (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019) 69 8th Runners-up (2010, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2024) 87 8th Champions (2022, 2024) 112 8th Semi-finals (2012, 2014, 2019) 162 8th Semi-finals (2022, 2024) 164 8th Semi-finals (2016) 167
Squads
Venue All matches were played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa.
Margao Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Capacity: 16,200
Draw The draw ceremony of the tournament was held at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22 April 2026. The seeding for the draw was done in accordance with the latest FIFA Rankings issued on April 21. India and Nepal were placed in Pot 1; Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were placed in Pot 2; and Bhutan and Maldives were placed in Pot 3. Finally, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan were drawn in Group A, and the host was drawn along with Bangladesh and the Maldives in Group B.
Pots Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3 (H)
Result +Group ATeamA1A2A3+Group BTeamB1B2B3
Match officials Referees
Choki Om Sharaban Tahura Ranjita Devi Tekcham Rachana Kamani Anjana Rai Y. A. P. Minisarani Yapa
Assistant Referees & Fourth Officials
Tshering Choden Merina Dhimal Salma Akter Mone Debala Devi Elangbam Riiohlang Dhar H. M. Malika Madhushani
Match Commissioners
Subha Rahman Wendy D'Costa
Referee Assessors
Maria Rebello
Group stage Tie-breaking criteriaThe ranking of teams in each group is determined by the points obtained in all group matches. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria are used to determine the ranking: Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; If more than two teams remain tied after applying criteria 1–3, these criteria are reapplied exclusively to the subset of remaining tied teams; Goal difference in all group matches; Goals scored in all group matches; Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group; Disciplinary points in all group matches (yellow card = −1 point, indirect red card = −3 points, direct red card = −3 points, yellow followed by direct red card = −4 points), with the fewest minus points ranked highest; Drawing of lots.
Key to colours in group tablesGroup winners and runners-up advance to the Semi-finals All matches are being played in Goa, India. Times listed are UTC+5:30. Group A
Group B
Knockout stage In the knockout stages, if a match finished goalless at the end of normal playing time, extra time would have been played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
Bracket
Semi-finals
Final
Winner
Awards Most Valuable Player Top Scorer Best Goalkeeper Fair Play Sanfida Nongrum Aveka Singh (4 Goals) Panthoi Chanu Elangbam Nepal
Statistics Goalscorers
Hat-tricks Bold indicates the winner. No. Player For Against Goals Result Date 1. 11–0 2. 4–0
Broadcasting Country / Region Broadcasters GlobalFanCode T Sports DGO Stream
See also 2026 SAFF Championship 2026 SAFF Club Championship
References
External links website