SAFF Championship 2021: Participating teams, fixtures, tables, top scorers, squads, stadium and all you need to know

goal.com, 4 October 2021, 13:15

Hosts Maldives are the defending champions of the SAFF Championship...

The 2021 SAFF Championship is the 13th edition of the competition since its inception in 1993. It is a biennial international men's football championship and this time hosted in Male, Maldives.

India are the most successful nation in the SAFF Championship as they have won the competition a record seven times. However, in the last edition Maldives won the title after defeating India 2-1 in the final.

Which nations are participating in the SAFF Championship 2021?

India

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Bangladesh

Maldives

Two other member nations in Pakistan and Bhutan have refrained from competing in the tournament.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on April 7 2021 due to third-party interference. It was deemed as a serious violation of the FIFA statutes. The PFF headquarters in Lahore was taken over by a group of protestors and thereby dislodged the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of the PFF led by Haroon Malik. The reins of administration were taken over by Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah. FIFA warned PFF of consequences if the status quo was not restored. However, the situation remained unchanged which forced the FIFA Council to suspend Pakistan FA. Hence, no footballing activity can be undertaken by the national team.

Whereas, Bhutan decided to refrain from participating in the tournament after the Bhutanese government did not grant necessary permission to send the national team abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In which stadium will the SAFF Championship be played?

All the matches of the SAFF Championship will be played at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives.

SAFF Championship 2021 Fixtures & Results

*All times are in IST.

When is the SAFF Championship 2021 final?

The final will be played on October 16 between the top two teams after the round-robin stage.

Top-Scorers

2021 SAFF Championship table:

*Last updated after India's 1-1 draw against Bangladesh

Indian national team squad, fixtures, results, & table

10-man Bangladesh hold India to a draw

SAFF Championship: List of winners (1993-2018)

Which country has defeated India the most in SAFF Cup?

The domestic league structure of India's SAFF rivals

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