2023 SAFF Championship: All you need to know
India will face Pakistan, Nepal, and Kuwait in Group A of the 2023 SAFF Championship to be held in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 4. India are the defending champions, having won the tournament a record eight times. This is the 14th edition of the tournament that started way back in 1993. Here we present the key details.
Groups and venue
Group A: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kuwait. Group B - Lebanon, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh. The 2023 SAFF Championship will be held in Bengaluru, India. All the matches will be played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The venue is also the home of Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC.
Key details about the participating nations
Kuwait and Lebanon will be taking part in the 2023 edition of the tourney after being invited as guest teams. Notably, both nations aren't from South Asia. Sri Lanka is not eligible to participate in the competition owing to its suspension by the world governing body FIFA. Meanwhile, Afghanistan withdrew from SAFF and joined Central Asian Football Federation.
Schedule of the tournament: Group A
Kuwait vs Nepal: 3:30pm (June 21) India vs Pakistan: 7:30pm (June 21) Pakistan vs Kuwait: 3:30pm (June 24) Nepal vs India: 7:30pm (June 24) Nepal vs Pakistan: 3:30pm (June 27) India vs Kuwait: 7:30pm (June 27)
Schedule of the tournament: Group B
Lebanon vs Bangladesh: 3:30pm (June 22) Maldives vs Bhutan: 7:30pm (June 22) Bangladesh vs Maldives: 3:30pm (June 25) Bhutan vs Lebanon: 7:30pm (June 25) Lebanon vs Maldives: 3:30pm (June 28) Bhutan vs Bangladesh: 7:30pm (June 28)
Key details about semis and final
2023 SAFF Championship semi-finals: July 1, 2023, Champion Group A vs Runner-up Group B, TBC. Champion Group B vs Runner-up Group A, TBC. Final: July 4, 2023 Winner semi-final 1 vs Winner semi-final 2, TBC.
India's performance at SAFF Championship
The Indian football team has won the tournament on eight occasions (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2021). India have been runners-up in 1995, 2008, 2013, and 2018 respectively. India also finished third in 2003 after overcoming Pakistan in the third-place encounter post losing the semi-final. Sunil Chhetri is the tournament's top scorer with 18 goals. Bhaichung Bhutia managed 12.
India beat Nepal to win SAFF Championship in 2021
Chhetri was superb for the Indian men's football team as it clinched the 2021 SAFF Championship with a commanding 3-0 win over Nepal in the final in Male, Maldives. The Blue Tigers produced a strong second-half display to hand Igor Stimac his first silverware as the head coach. Chhetri ended up with five goals in the tournament (highest).
