| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 2024 |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
2024 SAFF Club Championship will be the inaugural edition of the SAFF Club Championship, an annual international men's club football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).[1][2][3][4]
Format
Initially, a centralized venue was planned for the tournament. Eventually, a home-and-away format over six or seven months was finalized as the AIFF expressed reservations over allotting two weeks during the regular Indian football calendar.[5][6]
Association team allocation
A total of 8 teams from 7 SAFF member associations are set to participate in the 2024 SAFF Club Championship. The association ranking based on the FIFA World Ranking is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association.
- Association ranked 1 has two teams qualified
- Associations ranked 2–7 have one team qualified
| SAFF | Association | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
2 |
| 2 |  Maldives |
1 |
| 3 |  Nepal |
1 |
| 4 |  Bhutan |
1 |
| 5 |  Bangladesh |
1 |
| 6 |  Pakistan |
1 |
| 7 |  Sri Lanka |
1 |
| Total | 8 | |
Teams
A total of 8 teams will participate in the first edition. Two from India, the highest ranked nation, and one each from Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[7]
The two teams that finish the highest in the 2023-24 Indian Super League table and who do not qualified for 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2 or 2024–25 AFC Challenge League will represent India.[8] In December 2023, it was announced by the PFF that the Pakistani spot would be decided through qualifiers between AFC Chaman, Muslim FC and Baloch Nushki FC.[9]
The following teams will participate in the tournament.[10]
| Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC | |
| TBC |
Matches
The matches will be played in home and away knockout format.[11]
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
References
- ↑ "SAFF announces start of club championship from next year". www.dawn.com. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "First-ever SAFF Club C'ship likely next year". www.newagebd.net. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "SAFF Club C'ship from next year". www.thedailystar.net. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "সাফ ক্লাব চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ হতে পারে আগামী বছর থেকে". www.prothomalo.com (in Bengali). 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "SAFF mulls home and away system for its inaugural club championship". www.news9live.com. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ "SAFF announces start of club championship from next year". www.dawn.com. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ "Two spots for India in the inaugural SAFF Club Championship". thebridge.in. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ↑ "SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India". Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ↑ "The deserving clubs that have consistently showcased their prowess in both instances are: i. Afghan Football Club ii. Muslim Football Club iii. Baloch Noshki Football Club". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ↑ Lakhani, Faizan. "Pakistani club to participate in SAFF's inaugural club championship". Geo Super. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "@MarcusMargulhao: SAFF Club Championship will have eight teams, including two from India, the highest-ranked member association". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 7 December 2023.