Fourteenth edition of the SAFF Championship
International football competition
The 2023 SAFF Championship (known as the 2023 Bangabandhu SAFF Championship for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship , the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The event was held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore , India from 21 June to 4 July 2023.
India , the defending champions, won their ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final .[2]
Host selection [ edit ] At the SAFF Executive Committee meeting, held on 17 October 2021 in the Maldives , Football Sri Lanka expressed their interest to bid for hosting the tournament.[3] However, FIFA suspended Sri Lanka on 21 January 2023, which ceased them from hosting and participation in any football tournament.[4]
Later on 30 January 2023, SAFF unofficially announced that only Nepal had applied for hosting rights till the deadline which is 29 January 2023.[5] The host was supposed to be announced following the SAFF members' meeting during 33rd AFC Congress in Manama , Bahrain on 1 February 2023. On 14 February 2023, India were declared as the hosts of the 14th edition of the championship.[6] [7] On 19 March 2023, AIFF announced Bangalore as the host city for SAFF Championship 2023.[8]
Participating nations [ edit ] Football Sri Lanka was sanctioned by FIFA on 21 January 2023, which made them ineligible for participation in the competition.[4] Kuwait and Lebanon were invited as guest teams with a view to increase the number of teams for the championship and make the event more competitive.[9]
Each team had to register a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom must be goalkeepers.
The Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore , Karnataka , India hosted all the matches.[8]
The draw ceremony of this tournament was held on 17 May 2023 at 12:30 IST in New Delhi , India.[11]
Draw result [ edit ] Officiating [ edit ] Referees Md Alamgir Sarker Pema Tshewang Crystal John Sinan Hussain Prajwol Chhetri Irshad Ul Haq Assistant referees Mohammad Nuruzzaman Phurpa Wangchuk S Manikandan Sumanta Dutta Ahmed Hassan Nani Ram Thapa Magar Group stage [ edit ] Group A [ edit ] Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Kuwait 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7 Qualified for Semi-finals 2 India (H) 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6 7 3 Nepal 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3 4 Pakistan 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0
Group B [ edit ] Knockout stage [ edit ] Bracket [ edit ] Semi-finals [ edit ] Statistics [ edit ] Goalscorers [ edit ] There were 38 goals scored in 15 matches, for an average of 2.53 goals per match.
5 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Champion [ edit ] SAFF Championship 2023 India 9th title
Prize money [ edit ] Prize money amounts were announced in 2023.[12]
Position Amount (USD ) Champions 50,000 Runner-up 25,000 Total 75,000
Broadcasting [ edit ] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ a b "Bashundhara Toiletries Limited becomes title sponsor of SAFF Championship 2023" . daily-sun.com . 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 . ^ "SAFF Championship 2021 Final: India defeats Nepal 3-0 to lift title for the eighth time" . Sportstar . The Hindu . Press Trust of India . 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023 . ^ Premlal, Sushil (10 October 2021). "FSL keen to host 2023 SAFF Tourney" . The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021 . ^ a b "Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice" (PDF) . digitalhub.fifa.com . Zürich . 22 January 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023 . ^ "সাফের স্বাগতিক হতে শুধু নেপালের আবেদন" . Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 29 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023 . ^ "SAFF confirms Sports Partner International as the official commercial partner" . saffederation.org . 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023 . ^ "SAFF Championship 2023: All you need to know, dates, schedule, match timings, venue" . Sportstar . Chennai : The Hindu . 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023 . ^ a b "Bengaluru to host 2023 SAFF Championship" . the-aiff.com . Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023 . ^ "Lebanon to compete in SAFF Championship" . saffederation.org . 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023 . ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking" . fifa.com . Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023 . ^ Chatterjee, Triyasha (15 May 2023). "SAFF Championship 2023 Draw on May 17, Indian Football Team eye consecutive titles - Follow SAFF 2023 LIVE" . www.insidesport.in . Retrieved 16 May 2023 . ^ "SAFF Championship 2023 Awards And Winners" . India TV News . Retrieved 5 July 2023 . ^ "India vs Pakistan, SAFF Championship live streaming; When and where to watch football match live" . India Today . 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023 . ^ تلفزيون دولة الكويت [@KwtTelevision] (21 June 2023). للإعلان عبر تلفزيون دولة الكويت على القناة الثالثة الرياضية خلال مباريات بطولة كأس اتحاد جنوب اسيا لكرة القدم 2023 ، التواصل مع ادارة الاعلان التجاري والتسويق whatsapp : +965 22326688 (Tweet ) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter . ^ LBCI TV [@LBCILebanon] (20 June 2023). تابعوا مباراة منتخب لبنان ضد بنغلادش ضمن بطولة إتحاد جنوب آسيا لكرة القدم... الخميس الساعة 1 بعد الظهر على شاشة الـLBCI [Watch the Lebanon national team match against Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship... Thursday at 1:00 pm on LBCI] (Tweet ) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter . ^ @ICEmdv (20 June 2023). "The most awaited SAFF 2023 is here, brought to you by @medianetmv in partnership with @psm_mkt" (Tweet ). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter . ^ @YES_Maldives (20 June 2023). "Get ready, Maldives! SAFF 2023 is here! @psm_mkt in partnership with @medianetmv brings you the action! Stay tuned for matches, goals, and unforgettable moments. Are you ready?" (Tweet ). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter . ^ "Kantipur TV to broadcast SAFF Championship 2023 Live in Nepal" . dailylivescores.com . 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 . ^ "SAFF Championship 2023: Nepal vs India: Where and how to watch in India and Nepal?" . khelnow.com . Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023 . ^ Nasir, Saad (27 June 2023). "How to Watch Pakistan Vs. Nepal SAFF Championship: Live Stream and Timings" . propakistani.pk . Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023 .
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