South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) is an association of the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
playing nations in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
. Incorporated in 1997, it is a regional subsidiary of
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...
. The members of the association are
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
,
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
History
The SAFF was founded in 1997, with
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
,
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. In 2000, they expanded to 7 members, adding
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
joined in 2005, but left in 2015, to join then newly formed
Central Asian Football Association
Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) is one of five regional bodies that govern association football in Asia. It governs association football, futsal, and beach football in Central Asia. Headquartered in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, CAFA consists ...
.
Presidents
Member associations
Former member
Competitions
The South Asian Football Federation runs several competitions on
subcontinental level.
National teams
;Men
*
SAFF Championship
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 Fede ...
*
SAFF U-23 Championship
*
SAFF U-20 Championship
The SAFF U-18/U-19/U-20 Championship or SAFF Youth Championship is a biennial football championship for male footballers under the age of 20 and is organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The championship was held for the first tim ...
*
SAFF U-17 Championship
The SAFF U-15/U-16/U-17 Championship is an annual international football competition contested by the national teams of the members of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The first edition was held as ''SAFF U-16 Championship'', where most ...
*
South Asian Games
The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...
;Women
*
SAFF Women's Championship
The SAFF Women's Championship, also called the ''South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup'', is a competition for women's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). All seven members are eligible to partici ...
*
SAFF U-20 Women's Championship
The SAFF U-18/U-19/U-20 Women's Championship is a biennial international association football tournament for women's national football teams under the age of 18/19/20, governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). All the seven teams o ...
*
SAFF U-17 Women's Championship
The SAFF U-15/U-16/U-17 Women's Championship is association football tournament for women's national teams under the age of 15/16/17. The tournament is organized by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
History
The tournament began in 2017 and ...
*
South Asian Games
The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...
Clubs
;Men
*
SAFF Club Championship
The SAFF Club Championship also known as South Asian Football League is a proposed premier men's football club tournament in South Asia. It is proposed to be organized by the South Asian Football Federation and will be open to clubs representing ...
;Women
*
SAFF Women's Club Championship
The South Asian Football Federation announced in April 2011 that they had decided to start a new tournament for association football club sides, the
SAFF Club Championship
The SAFF Club Championship also known as South Asian Football League is a proposed premier men's football club tournament in South Asia. It is proposed to be organized by the South Asian Football Federation and will be open to clubs representing ...
, with the inaugural edition to be held in Bangladesh from 1–15 September of the same year. The competition was postponed and desires to revive the competition were again announced in July 2013 but the competition has still not started with accusations that India, the prime nation in the competition, were not altogether interested in participating.
Sri Lanka was supposed to host the first edition in August 2014.
A new possible start was set for December 2016 but later announced that 2017 would see the first edition.
This again was changed and announced that 2018 would be the start of the tournament.
In January 2025, SAFF announced three new competitions:
SAFF Club Championship
The SAFF Club Championship also known as South Asian Football League is a proposed premier men's football club tournament in South Asia. It is proposed to be organized by the South Asian Football Federation and will be open to clubs representing ...
,
SAFF Women's Club Championship and the
SAFF U-23 Championship.
Current title holders
Titles by nation
''As of'' ''1 June 2025''
Note: (†) Member from 2005 till 2015
, (††) The Russian Under-17 team was invited to the Under-17 tournament
Medals (1993–2025)
Last Update:
2025 SAFF U-19 Championship
The 2025 SAFF U-19 Championship was the 7th edition of the SAFF U-20 Championship, SAFF U-19 Championship, an international association football, football competition for men's under-19 national teams from South Asia region, organized by the Sout ...
''Exclude
Football at the South Asian Games
Football has been a sport at the South Asian Games since it commenced in 1984. Since the 2004 South Asian Games, the age limit for men's teams is under 23, plus up to three overaged players for each squad, which is the same as the age limit in ...
and
SAFF Club Championship
The SAFF Club Championship also known as South Asian Football League is a proposed premier men's football club tournament in South Asia. It is proposed to be organized by the South Asian Football Federation and will be open to clubs representing ...
.''
*Note: and shared gold in
2024 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship
The 2024 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship was the fifth edition of the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship, SAFF U-19 Women's Championship, an international football competition for women's under–19 national teams organized by SAFF. The tournament wa ...
.
SAFF teams at continental and global tournaments
;Legend
* – Champion
* – Runner-up
* – Third place
* – Fourth place
*QF – Quarterfinals
*R16 – Round of 16
*GS – Group stage
*1S – First knockout stage
* — Did not qualify
* — Qualified but withdrew
* — Did not enter / withdrawn / banned / disqualified
*
* — Hosts
For each tournament, the flag of the host country and the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.
Senior
Men's
=FIFA World Cup
=
=AFC Asian Cup
=
=AFC Challenge Cup
=
=AFC Solidarity Cup
=
Asian Games men's football tournament
:''Football at the Asian Games was a senior tournament until 1998.''
:''Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.''
Women's
=AFC Women's Asian Cup
=
Asian Games Women's football tournament
Junior
Men's U-20
=AFC U-20 Asian Cup
=
Men's U-17
=FIFA U-17 World Cup
=
=AFC U-17 Asian Cup
=
Women's U-20
=AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup
=
Women's U-17
=FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
=
=AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup
=
Rankings
Rankings
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...
are calculated by
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
.
Men's national teams
*Last updated: 28 November 2024
Leading men's team:
ImageSize = width:200 height:700
PlotArea = left:40 right:0 bottom:5 top:10
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/2025
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1992
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical format:yyyy
Colors =
id:IND value:blue
id:MAD value:white
id:BHU value:yellow
id:NEP value:red
id:AFG value:green
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bar:Leaders width:20 mark:(line,black) align:left fontsize:S
from:01/01/1992 till:01/06/2004 shift:(20,-3) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/06/2004 till:01/09/2004 shift:(20,-12) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/09/2004 till:01/11/2004 shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/11/2004 till:01/12/2004 shift:(20,-4) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/12/2004 till:01/07/2006 shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/07/2006 till:01/10/2006 shift:(20,-11) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/10/2006 till:01/11/2006 shift:(20,-8) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/11/2006 till:01/12/2006 shift:(20,-3) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/12/2006 till:01/03/2007 shift:(20,0) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/03/2007 till:01/08/2007 shift:(20,-3) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/08/2007 till:01/08/2009 shift:(20,-12) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/08/2009 till:01/09/2009 shift:(20,-4) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/09/2009 till:01/09/2010 shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/09/2010 till:01/10/2010 shift:(20,-11) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/10/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(20,-8) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/07/2011 till:01/08/2012 shift:(20,-3) text:"Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
" color:NEP
from:01/08/2012 till:01/03/2013 shift:(20,-4) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/03/2013 till:01/02/2014 shift:(20,-11) text:"Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
" color:AFG
from:01/02/2014 till:01/06/2014 shift:(20,-8) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:01/06/2014 till:01/06/2015 shift:(20,-4) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:01/06/2015 till:02/07/2015 shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
from:02/07/2015 till:02/06/2016 shift:(20,-4) text:"Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
" color:MAD
from:02/06/2016 till:end shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:IND
Women's national teams
*Last updated: 12 June 2025
Leading women's team:
ImageSize = width:200 height:400
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Colors =
id:India value:blue
PlotData=
bar:Leaders width:20 mark:(line,black) align:left fontsize:S
from:01/06/2003 till:end shift:(20,-4) text:"India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
" color:India
Individual statistics
Top goalscorer in men's football
By number of goals
By country
: ''Players in bold are active international players.''
Top goalscorer in women's football
By number of goals
By country
: ''Players in bold are active international players.''
See also
*
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
**
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...
(AFC)
***
ASEAN Football Federation
The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) is an organisation within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and is an international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer in Southeast Asia. It consists of the federations of Fo ...
(AFF)
***
East Asian Football Federation
The East Asian Football Federation (EAFF), founded on 28 May 2002, is an international governing body of association football, football in East Asia.
Presidents
Member associations
EAFF has 10 member associations. All of them are members of th ...
(EAFF)
***
Central Asian Football Association
Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) is one of five regional bodies that govern association football in Asia. It governs association football, futsal, and beach football in Central Asia. Headquartered in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, CAFA consists ...
(CAFA)
***
West Asian Football Federation
The West Asian Football Federation (WAFF; ) is a regional sub-confederation of association football, governed under the Asian Football Confederation. Founded in 2001, it governs football, futsal and beach football for nations in West Asia. The W ...
(WAFF)
References
External links
South Asian Football Federation Cupat
RSSSF
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (''RSSSF'') is an international organisation dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around ...
South Asia Football– SAFF website (archived)
{{AFC teams
South Asian Football Federation
Sport in South Asia
International organisations based in India
Sports organizations established in 1997