KATHMANDU, July 21: The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has confirmed that the SAFF Men’s Championship will be held in Bangladesh from November 4 to 17, ending months of uncertainty over the tournament’s schedule.
The decision was made at a meeting of the SAFF Executive Committee, which also appointed Bangladesh as the host nation.
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However, Nepal’s participation remains uncertain because the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is currently suspended by FIFA, preventing the national team from competing in international tournaments.
Nepal will only be eligible to participate if FIFA lifts ANFA’s suspension before the championship begins. Otherwise, the national team will be forced to miss the regional competition.
The tournament was initially scheduled to be held in 2025 under a home-and-away format but was postponed by a year due to sponsorship, budgetary and technical constraints.
SAFF later proposed holding the competition as a centralized tournament in Sri Lanka, but the plan was abandoned after Sri Lanka cited technical and logistical difficulties in hosting the event.
With Bangladesh now confirmed as the host, Nepal’s participation will depend entirely on FIFA’s decision regarding ANFA’s suspension.
