2026 SAFF U-23 Championship
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bangladesh |
| City | Dhaka |
| Dates | May 2026 |
| Teams | 7 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue | 1 |
2027 → | |
The 2026 SAFF U-23 Championship is the inaugural edition of the SAFF U-23 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-23 national teams from South Asia region, organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament scheduled to be played in Dhaka, Bangladesh from May 2026.[1][2][3]
Host selection
At the SAFF Executive Committee virtual meeting, held on 8 January 2025 in the Dhaka, Bangladesh. The SAFF tournament committee announced the name of Bangladesh host country of the tournament.[4]
Participating teams
The following seven teams will participate in the competition.
| Team | Appearancesin the SAFF U-23 Championship |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh (Host) | Debut |
|
| Bhutan | Debut |
|
| India | Debut |
|
| Maldives | Debut |
|
| Nepal | Debut |
|
| Pakistan | Debut |
|
| Sri Lanka | Debut |
Players eligibility
Each team had to register a squad of minimum 16 and maximum 23 players. Players born on or after 1 January 2004 were eligible to compete in the tournament (as per FIFA eligibility rules of underage competitions[5]).
Squads
Venue
All matches will held at the National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| Dhaka | |
|---|---|
| National Stadium | |
| 23°43′40.2″N 90°24′48.4″E / 23.727833°N 90.413444°E | |
| Capacity: 36,000 seats | |
Draw
The draw ceremony of the tournament yet to be held.
Draw result
Draw Ceremony has not been held yet.
Match officials
- Referees
Not yet selected. List Will be selected soon.
- Assistant referees
Not yet selected. List Will be selected soon.
Group stage
The groups have not been determined yet. They will be determined soon.
Knockout stage
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Winner
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Awards
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Statistics
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Goalscorers
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Hat-tricks
Not yet determined. Will be determined soon.
Broadcasting rights
| Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| India | FanCode | fancode.com |
See also
- 2026 SAFF U-17 Championship
- 2026 SAFF U-20 Championship
- 2026 SAFF Championship
- 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship
- 2026 SAFF Club Championship
- 2026 SAFF Women's Championship
References
- ^ "সাফ নিয়ে বিশাল পরিকল্পনা কাজী সালাউদ্দিনের". www.footballbangladesh.com (in Bengali). 16 September 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "SAFF Youth Competition Calendar revised". www.saffederation.org. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "SAFF to announced 2024 tournament calendar". South Asian Football Federation. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "ক্লাব টুর্নামেন্ট আয়োজনসহ নতুন উদ্যোগ সাফের". www.dhakapost.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "Regulations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 (Article 24: Eligibility)" (PDF). The Hub (FIFA). Retrieved 11 May 2025.