Template:Infobox international football competition
2026 SAFF Club Championship will be the inaugural edition of the SAFF Club Championship, an international men's club football championship of South Asian countries organised by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). It was stalled for over a decade due to lack of sponsors.[1][2][3][4][5]
Format
Initially, a centralized venue was planned for the tournament. Eventually, a home-and-away format was finalized as the AIFF expressed reservations over allotting two weeks during the regular Indian football calendar. It was planned to be held in 2024, but postponed to 2026.[6][7]
Association team allocation
A total of 8 teams from 7 SAFF member associations are set to participate in the 2026 SAFF Club Championship. The association ranking based on the AFC member association coefficient rankings is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association. This will include two teams from India and one team from Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.[8][9]
| Participation for 2026 SAFF Club Championship | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
| SAFF rank | Member association | Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flagicon India | 2 |
| 2 | Template:Flagicon Bangladesh | 1 |
| 3 | Template:Flagicon Maldives | 1 |
| 4 | Template:Flagicon Nepal | 1 |
| 5 | Template:Flagicon Sri Lanka | 1 |
| 6 | Template:Flagicon Bhutan | 1 |
| 7 | Template:Flagicon Pakistan | 1 |
| Total | Participating associations: 7 | 8 |
Teams
The following teams will participate in the tournament:[10]
| Team | Qualifying method |
|---|---|
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2025–26 Indian Super League runners-up |
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2025–26 Indian Super League third place |
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2025–26 Bangladesh Premier League champions |
| Template:Fbaicon Paro | 2025 Bhutan Premier League champions |
| Template:Fbaicon Maziya | 2025–26 Dhivehi Premier League champions |
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2026 ANFA National League champions |
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2025–26 Pakistan Premier League champions |
| Template:Fbaicon TBD | 2025–26 Sri Lanka Super League champions |
Bracket
The matches will be played in home and away knockout format.[11]
Quarter-finals
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Semi-finals
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Final
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See also
- 2026 SAFF U-23 Championship
- 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship
- 2026 SAFF Women's Championship
- 2026 SAFF Women's Futsal Championship
- 2026 CAFA Silk Way Cup
- 2025–26 ASEAN Club Championship
- 2025–26 AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League
References
- ↑ SAFF announces start of club championship from next year(6 May 2023). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ First-ever SAFF Club C'ship likely next year. www.newagebd.net(6 May 2023). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ SAFF Club C'ship from next year. www.thedailystar.net(6 May 2023). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ সাফ ক্লাব চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ হতে পারে আগামী বছর থেকে. www.prothomalo.com(6 May 2023). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ https://www.newagebd.net/post/others/254845/saff-2025-to-be-held-on-home-and-away-format
- ↑ SAFF mulls home and away system for its inaugural club championship. www.news9live.com(17 May 2023). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ SAFF announces start of club championship from next year. www.dawn.com(7 May 2023). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India. Khel Now. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ↑ Two spots for India in the inaugural SAFF Club Championship. thebridge.in(7 December 2023). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ↑ Pakistani club to participate in SAFF's inaugural club championship. Geo Super. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ @MarcusMargulhao: SAFF Club Championship will have eight teams, including two from India, the highest-ranked member association.. X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-12-07.
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