![June’s SAFF Championship to have home-away fixtures [The Daily Star]](https://footballpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SAFF-ExCo-meeting-on-8-Jan-2025.jpg "June’s SAFF Championship to have home-away fixtures [The Daily Star]")
The 15th edition of the SAFF Championship is set to get underway in June this year, as the executive committee of the South Asian Football Federation today approved a new format of home-and-away matches for the regional football extravaganza.
Previously, all SAFF Championships were held at a centralised venue, but this time the regional football governing body has decided to shift to a home-and-away format on the recommendation of its sponsoring partner, Sports 5.
“The meeting decided to hold the SAFF Championship in a new format on a home-and-away basis, and it will take nearly 30 to 35 days after starting in June 15 this year,” SAFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal told The Daily Star over the phone after completing the meeting in Kathmandu today.
“If any problems regarding the tournament arise, the tournament will be held at a centralised venue,” said the former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation.
Explaining the matches under the new format, Helal said, “Of seven participants, each nation will play six matches — three home and three away — but the matches between India and Pakistan will be held at a neutral venue.”
The meeting also approved two new championships — the SAFF U-23 Championship and the SAFF Women’s Club Cup Championship — to be held this year, while the SAFF is on the verge of signing a deal with Sports 5 to hold the SAFF Men’s Club Championship.
Published in The Daily Star, 8 January 2025
SAFF Ex.Co meeting approves home or away format for SAFF Championship 2025
Kathmandu, 8 Jan 2025
The South Asian Football Federation’s Executive Committee meeting that was held in Kathmandu on Wednesday (8 Jan 2025) has approved to award the marketing rights of certain number of SAFF competitions to its commercial partner Sportfive.
The first among the list of competitions approved by the meeting was holding the SAFF Championship 2025 in a home or away format from 15 June – 25 July. Under the agreement, the rights shall be with Spotfive till 2029 with the championship taking place biennially.
“ We will try our best to hold the championship in a home or an away format but if there arises any issue later on we shall do it in a centralized format this year,” said SAFF General Secretary Anwarul Huq after the meeting.
It was also decided to hold SAFF’s first-ever club competition from 2026 consisting of eight teams. Among the eight teams, the country that is ranked at the top in the AFC Club Rankings shall have two slots.
A women’s club competition is also on the cards from 2025. Another competition that was approved is SAFF U-23 Championship from 2026.
SAFF Youth Competitions approved by the meeting:
- SAFF U-19 Championship, 8-18 May 2025
- SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship, 11-21 July 2025
- SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship, 14-24 September 2025
- SAFF U-17 Championship, 17-27 October 2025