2023 SAFF Championship

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2023 SAFF Championship
File:2023 SAFF Championship logo.png
Tournament details
Host countryIndia
Dates21 June – 4 July
Teams8 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
ChampionsFile:Flag of India.svg India (9th title)
Runners-upFile:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait
Tournament statistics
Matches played15
Goals scored38 (2.53 per match)
Attendance93,993 (6,266 per match)
Top scorer(s)India Sunil Chhetri (5 goals)
Best player(s)India Sunil Chhetri
Best goalkeeperBangladesh Anisur Rahman Zico
Fair play awardFile:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal
2021
2025 →

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

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

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]

Country Appearance Previous best performance FIFA ranking
(6 April 2023)[10]
File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 13th Champions (2003) 192
File:Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan 9th Semi-finals (2008) 185
File:Flag of India.svg India 14th Champions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021) 101
File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait 1st Debut (invitee) 143
File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon 1st Debut (invitee) 99
File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives 12th Champions (2008, 2018) 154
File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal 14th Runners-up (2021) 174
File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 12th Third place (1997) 195

Squads

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.

Venue

The Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, Karnataka, India hosted all the matches.[8]

Bangalore
Sree Kanteerava Stadium
12°58′10.92″N 77°35′36.24″E / 12.9697000°N 77.5934000°E / 12.9697000; 77.5934000 (Bangalore)
Capacity: 25,810
Aerial view Sree Kanteerava Stadium

Draw

The draw ceremony of this tournament was held on 17 May 2023 at 12:30 IST in New Delhi, India.[11]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon (99)
File:Flag of India.svg India (101) (hosts)
File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait (143)
File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives (154)
File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal (174)
File:Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan (185)
File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh (192)
File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan (195)

Draw result

Group A
Pos Team
A1 File:Flag of India.svg India
A2 File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait
A3 File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal
A4 File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Group B
Pos Team
B1 File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
B2 File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives
B3 File:Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan
B4 File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh

Officiating

Referees
Assistant referees

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7 Qualified for Semi-finals
2 File:Flag of India.svg India (H) 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6 7
3 File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3
4 File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0
Source: Global Sports Archive
(H) Hosts
Kuwait File:Flag of Kuwait.svg3–1File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal
Report Bista File:Soccerball shade.svg 69'
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)
India File:Flag of India.svg4–0File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 22,860
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Pakistan File:Flag of Pakistan.svg0–4File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 309
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)
Nepal   File:Flag of Nepal.svg0–2File:Flag of India.svg India
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 12,642
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

Nepal   File:Flag of Nepal.svg1–0File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 250
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)
India File:Flag of India.svg1–1File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 9,562
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Qualified for Semi-finals
2 File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6
3 File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4 File:Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan 3 0 0 3 2 9 −7 0
Lebanon File:Flag of Lebanon.svg2–0File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Maldives File:Flag of Maldives.svg2–0File:Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 200
Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)

Bangladesh File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg3–1File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 100
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Lebanon File:Flag of Lebanon.svg1–0File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
1 July 2023
 
 
File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait (a.e.t.)1
 
4 July 2023
 
File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh0
 
File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait1 (4)
 
1 July 2023
 
File:Flag of India.svg India (p)1 (5)
 
File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon0 (2)
 
 
File:Flag of India.svg India (p)0 (4)
 

Semi-finals

Kuwait File:Flag of Kuwait.svg1–0 (a.e.t.)File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 500
Referee: Crystal John (India)

Final

Statistics

Goalscorers

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

Awards

Most Valuable Player Top Scorer Goalkeeper Fair Play
India Sunil Chhetri India Sunil Chhetri (5 goals) Bangladesh Anisur Rahman Zico File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal

Champion

 SAFF Championship 2023 
File:Flag of India.svg
India

9th title

Prize money

Prize money amounts were announced in 2023.[12]

Position Amount (USD)
Champions 50,000
Runner-up 25,000
Total 75,000

Broadcasting

Country Broadcaster Ref.
File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh T Sports [1]
File:Flag of India.svg India DD Bharati, DD Sports, FanCode [13]
File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Kuwait Television [14]
File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon LBCI [15]
File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives ICE TV, Yes TV [16][17]
File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal Kantipur Television [18][19]
File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan Geo Super, A Sports [20]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "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.
  2. "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.
  3. 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.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "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.
  5. "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.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Bengaluru to host 2023 SAFF Championship". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. "Lebanon to compete in SAFF Championship". saffederation.org. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  10. "FIFA Men's Ranking". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  11. 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.
  12. "SAFF Championship 2023 Awards And Winners". India TV News. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  13. "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.
  14. 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 العربية). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  15. 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 العربية). Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  16. @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.
  17. @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.
  18. "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.
  19. "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.
  20. 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.