View source for SAFF Championship

{{Short description|Football tournament of Asia}}
{{About|the men's tournament|the women's tournament|SAFF Women's Championship}}
{{Infobox football tournament
| name              = SAFF Championship
| image             = SAFF Championship original Trophy.jpg
| imagesize         = 100px
| caption           = The SAFF Championship trophy
| organiser         = [[South Asian Football Federation|SAFF]]
| founded           = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1993}} (as ''SAARC Gold Cup'')
| number of teams   = {{hidden begin|title=7|titlestyle=font-weight:normal |border=none;padding:0 }}
{{plainlist}}
*{{fb|BAN}}
*{{fb|BHU}}
*{{fb|IND}}
*{{fb|MDV}}
*{{fb|NEP}}
*{{fb|PAK}}
*{{fb|SRI}}
{{endplainlist}}
{{hidden end}}
| region               = [[South Asia]]
| current champions    = {{fb|India}} (2023)
| most successful team = {{fb|India}} (9 titles)
| current              = [[2026 SAFF Championship]]
| website              = {{URL|https://saffederation.org/|saffederation.org}}
}}
{{Season sidebar
| title = Tournaments
| list  =
* [[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]]
* [[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]]
* [[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]]
* [[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]]
* [[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]]
* [[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]]
* [[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]
* [[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]]
* [[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]]
* [[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]]
* [[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]]
* [[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]]
* [[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]]
* [[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]]
*[[2026 SAFF Championship|2026]]
}}

The '''SAFF Championship''' (erstwhile '''SAARC Gold Cup''' and '''SAFF Gold Cup'''), is the primary [[association football]] competition contested by the senior [[List of men's national association football teams|men's national teams]] of the [[South Asian Football Federation]] (SAFF), determining the [[Sub-continental football championships in Asia|sub-continental champion]] of [[South Asia]].

==History==
India is most successful team of this region. They won the title 9 times which is 7 times more than second most successful team  Maldives (having won 2 times). Total countries that currently compete in the tournaments are [[Bangladesh national football team|Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan national football team|Bhutan]], [[India national football team|India]], [[Maldives national football team|Maldives]], [[Nepal national football team|Nepal]], [[Pakistan national football team|Pakistan]] and [[Sri Lanka national football team|Sri Lanka]]. It is held every two years.<ref>{{cite web|title=From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship|url=http://givemegoal.com/np/2013/08/03/from-saarc-gold-cup-to-saff-championship/|website=Givemegoal.com.np|date=3 August 2013|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613112224/http://givemegoal.com/np/2013/08/03/from-saarc-gold-cup-to-saff-championship/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Afghanistan national football team|Afghanistan]] joined SAFF in 2005 and left the association in 2015 to become a founding member of [[Central Asian Football Association]] (CAFA).

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship kicked off in Lahore in 1993, evolving out of its forerunner, the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (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 [[Bangladesh Football Federation]] from FIFA; the tournament finally took place in 2003. The 2018 edition was hosted by Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.goalnepal.com/news.php?id=26060 |title=Infos at goalnepal.com |access-date=2016-01-03 |archive-date=2017-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818090312/http://www.goalnepal.com/news.php?id=26060 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 2021 edition of the tournament was postponed twice to October 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.goalnepal.com/news/detail/11381|date=27 July 2021|title=We Will Try Our Best To Host SAFF 2021 Matches In Pokhara|work=Goal Nepal|access-date=27 July 2021|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727075206/https://www.goalnepal.com/news/detail/11381|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Organisation ==
Sports marketing, media, and event management firm, [[Sportfive]] (formerly [[Lagardère Sports]]) has been involved in the tournament since 2025.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=SAFF Ex.Co meeting approves home or away format for SAFF Championship 2025 |url=https://saffederation.org/news/read/133?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1p-mTLUjjsuG8u0R5N0ugdPBfpuW7NsHz8eFO2JomTAyQSBf4eey_gohk_aem_qnlzB7QaE1Tte1tA1NR45A |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=saffederation.org}}</ref>

=== Title sponsorship ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left; font-size:90%"
!Period
!Sponsor
!Name
|-
|1993
|No title sponsor
|SAARC Gold Cup
|-
|1995
|[[Ceylon Tobacco Company]]
|Bristol SAARC Gold Cup
|-
|1997
|No title sponsor
|SAFF Gold Cup
|-
|1999
|[[Coca-Cola]]
|SAFF Coca-Cola Cup
|-
|2003–2005
| rowspan="2" |No title sponsor
|SAFF Gold Cup
|-
|2008
|SAFF Championship
|-
|2009
|[[BEXIMCO]]
|Bangabandhu SAFF Championship
|-
|2011
|[[Karbonn Mobiles|Karbonn]]
|Karbonn SAFF Championship
|-
|2013
|No title sponsor
|SAFF Championship
|-
|2015–2018
|[[Suzuki]]
|SAFF Suzuki Cup
|-
|2021
|[[Ooredoo Maldives|Ooredoo]]
|Ooredoo SAFF Championship
|-
|2023
|[[Bashundhara Group]]
|Bangabandhu SAFF Championship
|-
! colspan="3" |Source: [https://globalsportsarchive.com/competition/soccer/saff-gold-cup-1995-sri-lanka/semi-finals/17371/ GSA]
|}

== Results ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center; width:100%;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:2%;" |{{abbr|Ed.|Edition}}
! rowspan="2" style="width:5%;" |Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:13%;" |Hosts
| rowspan="18" width="1%" style="background-color:#ffffff;border-top-style:hidden; border-bottom-style:hidden;" |
! colspan="3" |Final
| rowspan="18" width="1%" style="background-color:#ffffff;border-top-style:hidden; border-bottom-style:hidden;" |
! colspan="3" |Third place playoff
| rowspan="18" width="1%" style="background-color:#ffffff;border-top-style:hidden; border-bottom-style:hidden;" |
! rowspan="2" |{{abbr|No. of<br />teams|Number of teams}}
|-
! style="width:15%; " |Champions
! style="width:10%; " |Score
! style="width:15%; " |Runners-up
! style="width:15%; " |Third place
! style="width:10%; " |Score
! style="width:15%; " |Fourth place
|-
!1
|[[1993 SAARC Gold Cup|1993]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Pakistan}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|<sup>'''[[Round-robin tournament|RR]]'''</sup>
|{{fb-big|Sri Lanka}}
|{{fb-big|NEP}}
|<sup>'''[[Round-robin tournament|RR]]'''</sup>
|{{fb-big|Pakistan}}
|4
|-
!2
|[[1995 SAARC Gold Cup|1995]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Sri Lanka}}
|'''{{fb-big|Sri Lanka}}'''
|'''1–0'''
{{aet|sd=yes}}
|{{fb-big|IND}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|BAN}} and {{fb|NEP}}
|5
|-
!3
|[[1997 SAFF Gold Cup|1997]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Nepal}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''5–1'''
|{{fb-big|MDV}}
|{{fb-big|PAK}}
|'''1–0'''
|{{fb-big|SRI}}
|6
|-
!4
|[[1999 SAFF Gold Cup|1999]]
| align="left" |{{flag|India}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''2–0'''
|{{fb-big|BAN}}
|{{fb-big|MDV}}
|'''2–0'''
|{{fb-big|NEP}}
|6
|-
!5
|[[2003 SAFF Gold Cup|2003]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|'''{{fb-big|BAN}}'''
|'''1–1''' {{aet}} <br />{{pso|5–3}}
|{{fb-big|MDV}}
|{{fb-big|IND}}
|'''2–1'''
{{aet|sd=yes}}
|{{fb-big|PAK}}
|8
|-
!6
|[[2005 SAFF Gold Cup|2005]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Pakistan}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''2–0'''
|{{fb-big|BAN}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|MDV}} and {{fb|PAK}}
|8
|-
!7
|[[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Maldives}}
{{flag|Sri Lanka}}
|'''{{fb-big|MDV}}'''
|'''1–0'''
|{{fb-big|IND}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|BHU}} and {{fb|SRI}}
|8
|-
!8
|[[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|'''{{fbu-big|23|IND|name=India U23}}'''
|'''0–0''' {{aet}} <br />{{pso|3–1}}
|{{fb-big|MDV}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|BAN}} and {{fb|SRI}}
|8
|-
!9
|[[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]]
| align="left" |{{flag|India}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''[[2011 SAFF Championship final|4–0]]'''
|{{fb-big|AFG|2004}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|MDV}} and {{fb|NEP}}
|8
|-
!10
|[[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Nepal}}
|'''{{fb-big|AFG|2013}}'''
|'''[[2013 SAFF Championship final|2–0]]'''
|{{fb-big|IND}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|MDV}} and {{fb|NEP}}
|8
|-
!11
|[[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]]
| align="left" |{{flag|India}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''[[2015 SAFF Championship final|2–1]]''' 
{{aet}}
|{{fb-big|AFG|2004}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|MDV}} and {{fb|SRI}}
|7
|-
!12
|[[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|'''{{fb-big|MDV}}'''
|'''[[2018 SAFF Championship final|2–1]]'''
|{{fb-big|IND}}
| colspan="3" |{{fb|NEP}} and {{fb|PAK}}
|7
|-
!13
|[[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]]
| align="left" |{{flag|Maldives}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''[[2021 SAFF Championship|3–0]]'''
|{{fb-big|NEP}}
|{{fb-big|MDV}}
|<sup>'''[[Round-robin tournament|RR]]{{efn|The format of the tournament was changed to [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] due to the suspension of [[Pakistan national football team|Pakistan]] and the withdrawal of [[Bhutan national football team|Bhutan]]. Maldives finished third in points and hence listed as third place.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mukherjee |first=Soham |date=9 September 2021 |title=SAFF Championship 2021: Everything you need to know |url=https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/all-you-need-to-know-saff-championship-2021-india-national/6r9qsaun8dn01c49l3i4f8qgz |access-date=18 September 2021 |website=Goal |archive-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913075500/https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/all-you-need-to-know-saff-championship-2021-india-national/6r9qsaun8dn01c49l3i4f8qgz|url-status=live }}</ref>}}'''</sup>
|{{fb-big|BAN}}
|5
|-
!14
|[[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]]
| align="left" |{{flag|India}}
|'''{{fb-big|IND}}'''
|'''[[2023 SAFF Championship final|1–1]]''' {{aet}}<br>{{pso|5–4}}
|'''{{fb-big|KUW}}'''
| colspan="3" |{{fb|BAN}} and {{fb|LBN}}
|8
|-
!15
|[[2026 SAFF Championship|2026]]
| align="left" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}

==Statistics==
===Performance by nation===
{|class="wikitable"
!Nation
!Champions
!{{nobr|Runners-up}}
!{{nobr|Third-place}}
!{{nobr|Fourth-place}}
!{{nobr|Semi-finalists}}
|-
|{{fb|India}}
|style="background:gold"|9 ([[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]], [[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]], '''[[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]]''', [[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]], [[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]],{{efn|India was represented by the [[India national under-23 football team|India U-23 team]].}} '''[[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]]''', '''[[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]]''', [[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]], '''[[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]]''')
|style=background:silver|4 ([[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]], [[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]], [[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]], [[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]])
|style=background:#cc9966|1 ([[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]])
|–
|–
|-
|{{fb|Maldives}}
|style=background:gold|2 ('''[[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]''', [[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]])
|style=background:silver|3 ([[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]], [[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]], [[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]])
|style=background:#cc9966|2 ([[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]], '''[[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]]''')
| –
|4 ([[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]], [[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]], [[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]], [[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]])
|-
|{{fb|Bangladesh}}
|style=background:gold|1 ('''[[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]]''')
|style=background:silver|2 ([[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]], [[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]])
|style=background:#cc9966|1 ([[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]])
|style=background:#9acdff|1 ([[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]])
|3 ([[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]], '''[[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]]''', [[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]])
|-
|{{fb|Afghanistan|2013}}*
|style=background:gold|1 ([[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]])
|style=background:silver|2 ([[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]], [[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]])
| –
| –
| –
|-
|{{fb|Sri Lanka}}
|style=background:gold|1 ('''[[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]]''')
|style=background:silver|1 ([[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]])
| –
|style=background:#9acdff|1 ([[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]])
|3 ('''[[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]''', [[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]], [[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]])
|-
|{{fb|Nepal}}
| –
|style=background:silver|1 ([[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]])
|style=background:#cc9966|1 ([[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]])
|style=background:#9acdff|2 ([[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]], [[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]])
|3 ([[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]], '''[[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]]''', [[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]])
|-
|{{fb|KUW}}<sup>[[#3|3]]</sup>
|–
|style=background:silver|1 ([[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]]) 
|–
|–
|–
|-
|{{fb|Pakistan}}
| – 
| –
|style=background:#cc9966|1 ([[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]])
|style=background:#9acdff|2 ('''[[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]]''', [[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]])
|2 ('''[[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]]''', [[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]])
|-
|{{fb|Bhutan}}
| –
| –
| –
| –
|1 ([[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]])
|-
|{{fb|LBN}}<sup>[[#3|3]]</sup>
|–
|–
|–
|–
|1 ([[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]])
|}

:<nowiki>Bold</nowiki> = ''Hosts''
:<nowiki>*</nowiki> = ''No longer SAFF member''
:<sup>3</sup> = ''Invited as guest teams from [[West Asian Football Federation|WAFF]]''

===Participating nations===
;Legend
{{colbegin|colwidth=18em}}
*'''{{bg|gold|1st}}''' – Champions
*'''{{bg|silver|2nd}}''' – Runners-up
*'''{{bg|#cc9966|3rd}}''' – Third place
*'''{{bg|#9acdff|4th}}''' – Fourth place
*'''{{bg|#cc9966|SF}}''' – Semifinals<sup>[[#1|1]]</sup>
*GS – Group stage
*DQ – Disqualified/Suspended by [[FIFA]]/[[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]]/[[SAFF]].
*Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament
*{{border|width=3px|color=red|&nbsp; &nbsp;}}&nbsp;&mdash; Hosts
*<span style="border:1px solid gray">&nbsp;×&nbsp;</span> – Did not enter
*<span style="border:1px solid gray">&nbsp;'''×'''&nbsp;</span> – Withdrew before tournament begins
*{{bg|#efefef|&nbsp; &nbsp;}} &mdash; Not part of SAFF
{{colend}}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! width=170|Team
! {{flagicon|PAK}}<br>[[1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup|1993]]
! {{flagicon|SRI}}<br>[[1995 South Asian Gold Cup|1995]]
! {{flagicon|NEP}}<br>[[1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1997]]
! {{flagicon|IND}}<br>[[1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|1999]]
! {{flagicon|BAN}}<br>[[2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2003]]
! {{flagicon|PAK}}<br>[[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup|2005]]
! {{flagicon|MDV}}<br>{{flagicon|SRI}}<br>[[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]
! {{flagicon|BAN}}<br>[[2009 SAFF Championship|2009]]
! {{flagicon|IND}}<br>[[2011 SAFF Championship|2011]]
! {{flagicon|NEP}}<br>[[2013 SAFF Championship|2013]]
! {{flagicon|IND}}<br>[[2015 SAFF Championship|2015]]
! {{flagicon|BAN}}<br>[[2018 SAFF Championship|2018]]
! {{flagicon|MDV}}<br>[[2021 SAFF Championship|2021]]
! {{flagicon|IND}}<br>[[2023 SAFF Championship|2023]]
!{{flagicon|SRI}}<br>[[2025 SAFF Championship|2025]]
! Total
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|BAN}}
| ×
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| GS
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| GS
| GS
| style="border: 3px solid red" | GS
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| Q
! 13
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|BHU}}
| colspan=4 bgcolor="#efefef"| Not part of SAFF
| GS
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| GS
| GS
| GS
| GS
| '''×'''
| GS
| Q
! 9
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|IND}}<sup>[[#2|2]]</sup>
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''3rd'''
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| Q
! 14
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|MDV}}
| ×
| '''×'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''3rd'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
|style="border: 3px solid red" |GS
| GS
| Q
! 12
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|NEP}}
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''3rd'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" | GS
| bgcolor="9acdff" |'''4th'''
| GS
| GS
| GS
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| GS
| Q
! 14
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|PAK}}
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="9acdff" |'''4th'''
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''3rd'''
| GS
| bgcolor="9acdff" |'''4th'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| GS
| GS
| GS
| '''×'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| DQ
| GS
| Q
! 12
|-
| align="left" |{{fb|SRI}}
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="gold" |'''1st'''
| bgcolor="9acdff" |'''4th'''
| GS
| GS
| GS
| style="border: 3px solid red" bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| GS
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| GS
| GS
| DQ
| style="border: 3px solid red"|Q
! 13
|-
! colspan="17" |Former team(s)
|-
| align=left|{{fb|AFG|2013}}<sup>[[#3|3]]</sup>
| colspan=4 bgcolor="#efefef"| Not part of SAFF
| GS
| GS
| GS
| GS
| bgcolor=silver|'''2nd'''
| bgcolor=gold|'''1st'''
| bgcolor=silver|'''2nd'''
| colspan="4" bgcolor="#efefef" | Part of [[Central Asian Football Association|CAFA]]
! 7
|-
! colspan="17" |Guest teams
|-
| align=left|{{fb|KUW}}<sup>[[#4|4]]</sup>
| colspan=13 | ×
| bgcolor="silver" |'''2nd'''
| ×
! 1
|-
| align=left|{{fb|LBN}}<sup>[[#4|4]]</sup>
| colspan=13 | ×
| bgcolor="cc9966" |'''SF'''
| ×
! 1
|}

{{anchor|1}}<sup>1</sup>The third-place match was not played in 1995 and has not been played 2003 onwards.<br />
{{anchor|2}}<sup>2</sup>Including [[India national under-23 football team|India U23 team]].<br />
{{anchor|3}}<sup>3</sup>Left [[South Asian Football Federation|SAFF]] and joined [[Central Asian Football Association|CAFA]] in 2015.<br />
{{anchor|4}}<sup>4</sup>Invited as a guest team from the [[West Asian Football Federation|WAFF]].

===All-time table===
{{Updated|4 July 2023}}.
[[File:Hamid Karimi.jpg|thumb|160px|right|alt=Portrait of Hamidullah Karimi|Afghanistan's [[Hamidullah Karimi|Hamid Karimi]] holding the SAFF trophy after winning the [[2013 SAFF Championship]].]]
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
!width=20|Rank
!width=200|Team
!width=20|Part
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|-
|1
|align=left|{{fb|India}}<sup>[[#1|1]]</sup>
|14||62||39||15||8||108||38||+70||132
|-
|2
|align=left|{{fb|MDV}}
|12||50||25||11||14||98||52||+46||86
|-
|3
|align=left|{{fb|BAN}}
|13||46||18||12||16||52||47||+5||66
|-
|4
|align=left|{{fb|NEP}}
|14||46||14||7||25||51||68||−17||49
|-
|5
|align=left|{{fb|SRI}} 
|13||41||13||7||21||48||65||−17||46
|-
|6
|align=left|{{fb|PAK}}
|12||39||12||8||19||32||51||−19||44
|-
|7
|align=left|{{fb|AFG|2013}}
|7||27||12||4||11||48||42||+6||40
|-
|8
|align=left|{{fb|KUW}}
|1||5||3||2||0||9||2||+7||11
|-
|9
|align=left|{{fb|LBN}}
|1||4||3||1||0||7||1||+6||10
|-
|10
|align=left|{{fb|BHU}}
|9||27||1||1||25||15||102||−87||4
|}

{{anchor|1}}<sup>1</sup>Including [[India national under-23 football team|India U23 team]].

===Top goal scorers by edition===
[[File:Ali Ashfaq 2021.jpg|alt=|thumb|248x248px|[[Ali Ashfaq]] of [[Maldives national football team|Maldives]] scored the most number of goals in a single championship, 10 goals at the [[2013 SAFF Championship|2013 Championship]].]]
{| class=wikitable
!Years
!Player(s)
!Goals
|-
|1993
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[I. M. Vijayan|Inivalappil Mani Vijayan]]
|3
|-
|1995
|{{flagicon|SRI}} [[Mohamed Amanulla]]
|3
|-
|1997
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[I. M. Vijayan|Inivalappil Mani Vijayan]]
|6
|-
|rowspan=4|1999
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Bhaichung Bhutia]]
|rowspan=4|3
|-
|{{flagicon|BAN}} [[Mizanur Rahman Dawn]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Mohamed Wildhan]]
|-
|{{flagicon|NEP}} [[Naresh Joshi]]
|-
|2003
|{{flagicon|PAK}} [[Sarfraz Rasool]]
|4
|-
|rowspan=3|2005
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Ali Ashfaq]]
|rowspan=3|3
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Ibrahim Fazeel]]
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Ahmed Thariq]]
|-
|2008
|{{flagicon|AFG|2004}} [[Harez Habib]]
|4
|-
|rowspan=3|2009
|{{flagicon|BAN}} [[Enamul Haque (footballer)|Enamul Haque]]
|rowspan=3|4
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Ahmed Thariq]]
|-
|{{flagicon|SRI}} [[Channa Ediri Bandanage]]
|-
|2011
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Sunil Chhetri]]
|7
|-
|2013
|{{flagicon|MDV}} [[Ali Ashfaq]]
|10
|-
|2015
|{{flagicon|AFG|2013}} [[Khaibar Amani]]
|4
|-
| rowspan="2" |2018
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Manvir Singh (footballer, born 1995)|Manvir Singh]]
| rowspan="2" |3
|-
|{{flagicon|PAK}} [[Hassan Bashir]]
|-
|2021
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Sunil Chhetri]]
|5
|-
|2023
|{{flagicon|IND}} [[Sunil Chhetri]]
|5
|}

===Overall top goal scorers===
[[File:Ahmad Faisal - football - C.jpg|180px|thumb|right|alt=Sunil Chhetri tackling against Afghanistan.|[[Sunil Chhetri]] at the [[2011 SAFF Championship]].]]
{{updated|27 June 2023}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Players with 10 or more goals at SAFF Championships
|-
!Rank
!Nation
!Player
!Goals scored
|-
|rowspan=2|1
|{{flagicon|IND}}
|align=left|[[Sunil Chhetri]]  
|rowspan="2"|23
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV
}}
|align=left|[[Ali Ashfaq]]
|-
|3
|{{flagicon|IND}}
|align=left|[[Bhaichung Bhutia]]
|12
|-
|rowspan=2|4
|{{flagicon|MDV}}
|align=left|[[Ibrahim Fazeel]]
|rowspan=2|10
|-
|{{flagicon|MDV}}
|align=left|[[Ahmed Thariq]]
|-
|}

=== Winning coaches ===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 350

 | image1 = Syed Nayeemuddin - South 24 Parganas 2016-02-14 1242.JPG
 | alt1 =Syed Nayeemuddin at a football workshop in 24 Paraganas District, West Bengal, India
 | caption1 = 1. Syed Nayeemuddin

 | image2 = Igor Štimac in Sepahan training.jpg
 | alt2 = Štimac during a training session of Sepahan.
 | caption2 = 2. Igor Štimac

 | footer = Both [[Syed Nayeemuddin]] and [[Igor Štimac]] won the SAFF Championship twice with the [[India national football team|India national team]].
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Team!!Coach
|-
| 1993
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Jiří Pešek]]
|-
| 1995
| {{fb|SRI}}
| {{flagicon|BRA}} Jorge Perreira
|-
| 1997
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Syed Nayeemuddin]]
|-
| 1999
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Sukhwinder Singh (football manager)|Sukhwinder Singh]]
|-
| 2003
| {{fb|BAN}}
| {{flagicon|AUT}} [[George Kottan]]
|-
| 2005
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Syed Nayeemuddin]] {{small|(2)}}
|-
| 2008
| {{fb|MDV}}
| {{flagicon|SVK}} [[Jozef Jankech]]
|-
| 2009
| {{fbu|23|IND|name=India U23}}
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Sukhwinder Singh (football manager)|Sukhwinder Singh]] {{small|(2)}}
|-
| 2011
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Savio Medeira]]
|-
| 2013
| {{fb|AFG|2013}}
| {{flagicon|AFG|2013}} [[Mohammad Yousef Kargar]]
|-
| 2015
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stephen Constantine]]
|-
| 2018 
| {{fb|MDV}}
| {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Petar Šegrt]]
|-
| 2021
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Igor Štimac]]
|-
| 2023
| {{fb|IND}}
| {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Igor Štimac]] {{small|(2)}}
|}

==See also==
* [[SAFF Women's Championship]]
* [[AFC Asian Cup]]
*[[Football at the Asian Games]]
* [[ASEAN Championship]]
* [[CAFA Championship]]
* [[EAFF E-1 Football Championship]]
* [[WAFF Championship]]
* [[Sub-continental football championships in Asia]]
* [[Football at the South Asian Games]]
* [[SABA Championship]]
* [[CAVA Men's Volleyball Nations League]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.saffsuzukicup.org/2018/index.html}}
* [https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/saffcup.html RSSSF page on the South Asian Federation Cup]
* [http://www.southasiafootball.com/ South Asia Football–Complete SAFF website]
*[http://SAFF%20Championship%20winners%20since%201993https://india-sportmart.blogspot.com/2023/07/footballsaff-championshipsaff-cup.html SAFF Championship winners since 1993]

{{International football}}
{{SAFF Championship}}
{{SAFF Football}}

[[Category:SAFF Championship| ]]
[[Category:SAFF competitions]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1993]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in Asia]]