| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 2024 |
| Teams | 8 (from 7 associations) |
The 2024 SAFF Club Championship or the 2024 SCC will be the inaugural edition of the SAFF Club Championship, an annual international men's club football championship of South Asia organised by the 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. This will include two teams from India and one team from Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. [7] [8]
| SAFF | Association | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
India
|
2 |
| 2 |
Maldives
|
1 |
| 3 |
Nepal
|
1 |
| 4 |
Bangladesh
|
1 |
| 5 |
Bhutan
|
1 |
| 6 |
Pakistan
|
1 |
| 7 |
Sri Lanka
|
1 |
| Total | 8 | |
Teams
Two teams that finish the highest in the 2023–24 Indian Super League and have not qualified for 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2 or 2024–25 AFC Challenge League will represent India. [9]
Football Sri Lanka named Blue Star to represent Sri Lanka as the club were the champions of the sole Sri Lanka Super League held in 2021. [10] In December 2023, it was announced by the Pakistan Football Federation that the Pakistani spot would be decided through qualifiers. [11] [12] However, none of the clubs have yet confirmed their participation. [13]
The following teams will participate in the tournament: [14]
| Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|
|
Mumbai City |
2023–24 Indian Super League runners-up |
|
Goa |
2023–24 Indian Super League third place |
|
|
TBA |
|
|
TBA |
|
|
TBA |
|
|
TBA |
|
|
2024 PFF Qualifiers winner |
|
Blue Star |
2021 Sri Lanka Super League champions |
Matches
The matches will be played in home and away knockout format. [15]
Brackets
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Final
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
See also
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. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF announces start of club championship from next year". www.dawn.com. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Two spots for India in the inaugural SAFF Club Championship". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "SAFF Club Championship to comprise two teams from India". Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Kalutara Blue Star to vie at SAFF Club Tourney - Sports | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "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). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
-
^
"Pakistani Football Club to Play SAFF Championship". propakistani.pk.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^
"Pakistan clubs show no interest in participation at SAFF Club Championship". geosuper.tv. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^ Lakhani, Faizan. "Pakistani club to participate in SAFF's inaugural club championship". Geo Super. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "@MarcusMargulhao: SAFF Club Championship will have eight teams, including two from India, the highest-ranked member association". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.