List of SAFF Championship Winners (1993-2023)

SAFF Championship winners and runner-up list: The SAFF Championship, initially known as the SAARC Gold Cup and established in 1993, has been held 14 times thus far. The tournament began as a four-team event and later expanded to include eight teams. 

From 1993 to 1999, the South Asian football championship took place every two years. However, there was a four-year gap before the next edition in 2003, followed by back-to-back editions in 2008 and 2009. 

In the inaugural edition, the winner was determined based on points table standings after the round-robin stage. However, starting from the 1995 edition, the champion has been decided through knockout rounds, including semifinals and a final match.

Out of the seven participating teams, only five have managed to win the title, as Afghanistan, who no longer participates in SAFF, won the championship before leaving to form the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).

SAFF Championship - Successful Team

Regarding the most successful team in the SAFF Championship, India holds that distinction, having won the title a record nine times  now and finishing as runners-up on four occasions. This means that India has reached the final in 13 out of the 14 editions held so far.

The next most successful nation in the tournament is Maldives, with two SAFF Cup victories in five final appearances. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have each won the coveted title once.

SAFF Championship - Finals 1993 to 2023

In the history of the SAFF Championship, the final match has gone into extra time on four occasions, with two of them requiring a penalty shootout to determine the winner. One previous final was decided by Sudden Death, while another match was settled in extra time.

🇮🇳 INDIA are SAFF 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 for the 9️⃣th time! 💙

🏆 1993
🏆 1997
🏆 1999
🏆 2005
🏆 2009
🏆 2011
🏆 2015
🏆 2021
🏆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯#SAFFChampionship2023 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/3iLJQSeyWG

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 4, 2023

The tournament has also featured a third-place playoff match for the bronze medal, but this has been the case in only the inaugural edition and four subsequent editions. India (2003), Bangladesh (1995), Maldives (1999), Pakistan (1997), and Nepal (1993) have all secured the third-place playoff spot once thus far. In the remaining eight editions, there was no third-place playoff match. Nepal and Pakistan have each finished in fourth place twice.

The 2023SAFF Championship was recently concluded  with India becoming a staggering 9th time champions. Eights teams participated in the championship including Kuwait and Lebanon, who  participated as guest nations.

SAFF Championship - Full List of Previous Winners, Runner-Ups, and Hosts

With each edition of the tournament, South Asian football continues to evolve, and fans eagerly await the next chapter of this exciting footballing journey.

Here is the full list: 

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