2023 SAFF Championship

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2023 SAFF Championship
Tournament details
Host countryIndia
Dates21 June – 4 July
Teams8 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions India (9th title)
Runners-up 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 award   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[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]

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

Squads[edit]

Main article: 2023 SAFF Championship 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[edit]

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[edit]

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
 Lebanon (99)
 India (101) (hosts) 		 Kuwait (143)
 Maldives (154) 		   Nepal (174)
 Bhutan (185) 		 Bangladesh (192)
 Pakistan (195)

Draw result[edit]

Group A Group B
 India  Lebanon
 Kuwait  Maldives
   Nepal  Bhutan
 Pakistan  Bangladesh

Officiating[edit]

Referees
  • Bangladesh Md Alamgir Sarker
  • Bhutan Pema Tshewang
  • India Crystal John
  • Maldives Sinan Hussain
  • Nepal Prajwol Chhetri
  • Pakistan Irshad Ul Haq
Assistant referees
  • Bangladesh Mohammad Nuruzzaman
  • Bhutan Phurpa Wangchuk
  • India S Manikandan
  • India Sumanta Dutta
  • Maldives Ahmed Hassan
  • Nepal Nani Ram Thapa Magar

Group stage[edit]

All times are local, IST (UTC+5:30).

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
Source: Global Sports Archive
(H) Hosts
Kuwait 3–1   Nepal
 Report Bista 69'
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)
India 4–0 Pakistan
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 22,860
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)
Pakistan 0–4 Kuwait
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 309
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)
Nepal   0–2 India
Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 12,642
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)
Nepal   1–0 Pakistan
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 250
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)
India 1–1 Kuwait
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 9,562
Referee: Md Alamgir Sarker (Bangladesh)

Group B[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Lebanon 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Qualified for Semi-finals
2  Bangladesh 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6
3  Maldives 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4  Bhutan 3 0 0 3 2 9 −7 0
Source: Global Sports Archive
Lebanon 2–0 Bangladesh
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Maldives 2–0 Bhutan
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 200
Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)
Bangladesh 3–1 Maldives
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 100
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)
Bhutan 1–4 Lebanon
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 250
Referee: Irshad Ul Haq (Pakistan)
Lebanon 1–0 Maldives
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 50
Referee: Pema Tshewang (Bhutan)
Bhutan 1–3 Bangladesh
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Referee: Crystal John (India)

Knockout stage[edit]

Bracket[edit]

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
 1 July 2023
 
 
 Kuwait (a.e.t.)1
 
4 July 2023
 
 Bangladesh0
 
 Kuwait1 (4)
 
 1 July 2023
 
 India (p)1 (5)
 
 Lebanon0 (2)
 
 
 India (p)0 (4)
 

Semi-finals[edit]

Kuwait 1–0 (a.e.t.) Bangladesh
 Report
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 500
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Lebanon 0–0 (a.e.t.) India
Report
Penalties
 2–4
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 19,640
Referee: Sinan Hussain (Maldives)

Final[edit]

Main article: 2023 SAFF Championship final
Kuwait 1–1 (a.e.t.) India
 Report
Penalties
 4–5
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore
Attendance: 26,380
Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

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

Awards[edit]

Most Valuable Player Top Scorer Goalkeeper Fair Play
India Sunil Chhetri India Sunil Chhetri (5 goals) Bangladesh Anisur Rahman Zico    Nepal

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]

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

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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.
  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. ^ a b "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 Arabic). 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 Arabic). 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.
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