by Ask any South Asian football fan who has won the SAFF Championship the most, and they’ll say India without hesitating. Ask them about 2003, and the answer gets more complicated.
The South Asian Football Federation has run this tournament since 1993, and across 14 editions, it has produced one dominant team, four genuine upsets, three penalty shootout finals, and a goal scored in the 101st minute that people still bring up a decade later.
SAFF Championship Winners List
Here is the complete SAFF Championship winners list, with every final score and the context that makes the numbers worth reading.
SAFF Championship Winners List: All 14 Finals at a Glance
| Year | Host | Winner | Runner-Up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pakistan | India | Sri Lanka | Round-robin |
| 1995 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | India | 1–0 (SD) |
| 1997 | Nepal | India | Maldives | 5–1 |
| 1999 | India | India | Bangladesh | 2–0 |
| 2003 | Bangladesh | Bangladesh | Maldives | 1–1 AET (5–3 pens) |
| 2005 | Pakistan | India | Bangladesh | 2–0 |
| 2008 | Maldives/Sri Lanka | Maldives | India | 1–0 |
| 2009 | Bangladesh | India | Maldives | 0–0 AET (3–1 pens) |
| 2011 | India | India | Afghanistan | 4–0 |
| 2013 | Nepal | Afghanistan | India | 2–0 |
| 2015 | India | India | Afghanistan | 2–1 AET |
| 2018 | Bangladesh | Maldives | India | 2–1 |
| 2021 | Maldives | India | Nepal | 3–0 |
| 2023 | India | India | Kuwait* | 1–1 AET (5–4 pens) |
*Kuwait participated as a WAFF guest nation.
The Complete Edition Guide
1993 — Where It Started
Host: Lahore, Pakistan | Top Scorer: IM Vijayan, India (3 goals)
The inaugural tournament had four teams — India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan — and no knockout stage. India won on points, going unbeaten throughout.
IM Vijayan was the standout player. There was no traditional final; the champion was determined through a round-robin.
A modest beginning. Nobody predicted the 30-year pattern it would set.
1995 — The Upset That Still Stands Alone
Host: Colombo | Score: 1–0 (Sudden Death)
Sri Lanka beat India on home soil, with Sarath Wellage scoring off the bench in sudden death.
It remains Sri Lanka’s only SAFF title and the only time in the tournament’s first ten editions that a team other than India won as host.
Sri Lanka has reached one final since the 1997 edition, which they lost 5–1. The 1995 win has never been repeated.
1997 — India’s Biggest Final Scoreline
Host: Kathmandu | Score: 5–1 vs Maldives | Top Scorer: IM Vijayan (6 goals)
The most one-sided final in SAFF history. Vijayan’s 6 goals across the tournament remain one of the great individual campaigns.
India’s total of 12 goals in the edition set a benchmark that wasn’t touched for years.
1999 — Home Comfort in Goa
Host: Margao, Goa | Score: 2–0 vs Bangladesh
India were at home, in form, and showed it. Bhaichung Bhutia scored.
Bangladesh reached the final for the first time but couldn’t threaten a defence that hadn’t conceded in the knockout rounds. India’s third title.
2003 — The Edition India Didn’t Reach the Final
Host: Dhaka | Score: 1–1 AET (5–3 pens)
Bangladesh beat India 2–1 in the semifinal, ending a run of consecutive India finals going back to the very first edition.
The hosts then kept a clean sheet throughout the group stage and converted all five penalties against the Maldives to win their only SAFF Championship title.
It’s the one edition that breaks the pattern. It’s also the one that shows what home support and a favourable draw can do.
2005 — India’s Straight Answer
Host: Karachi | Score: 2–0 vs Bangladesh
Merajuddin Wadoo and Bhaichung Bhutia scored. India were back in a final for the first time since 1999, and they didn’t waste it.
Bangladesh made their third consecutive final appearance but fell short again, this time without home advantage.
2008 — Maldives Win Their First
Host: Malé | Score: 1–0 vs India
Maldives had reached two previous finals (1997, 2003) without winning.
In 2008, playing at home in front of their own crowd, they held India out and took the title. Tight, organised, deserved.
2009 — India Win Without Scoring in Normal Time
Host: Dhaka | Score: 0–0 AET (3–1 pens)
The rematch from 2008. Neither team scored across 120 minutes.
India converted three of four penalties. Fifth title secured by the smallest possible margin of fine.
2011 — The Chhetri Era Gets Its Statement Win
Host: New Delhi | Score: 4–0 vs Afghanistan | Golden Boot: Sunil Chhetri (7 goals)
Four different scorers. Four goals. Afghanistan, which had been competitive throughout, was outclassed in the final.
Chhetri’s 7-goal tournament was the moment the tournament found its dominant individual story for the next decade.
Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhlua, and Sushil Singh all scored.
2013 — Afghanistan’s Only Title
Host: Kathmandu | Score: 2–0 vs India
The 2011 final reversed completely. Afghanistan was controlled and clinical — one goal per half, India’s attack kept scoreless throughout.
It was their only SAFF Championship win. Two years later, they left the federation to join CAFA.
2015 — Minute 101
Host: Thiruvananthapuram | Score: 2–1 AET vs Afghanistan | Golden Boot: Chhetri (7 goals)
The most dramatic finish in SAFF final history. 1–1 deep into extra time. Sunil Chhetri scored in the 101st minute.
India won their seventh title. Chhetri’s second golden boot in three editions.
The moment is cited whenever South Asian football comes up in conversation, which is probably more than it used to be.
2018 — Maldives Win Away From Home This Time
Host: Dhaka | Score: 2–1 vs India
Maldives led 2–0 before Sumeet Passi pulled one back for India in injury time. Not enough.
Maldives closed it out for their second title — the first won on foreign soil. India’s third final loss in a decade (2008, 2013, 2018).
2021 — Nepal’s First Final, India’s Eighth Title
Host: Malé | Score: 3–0 vs Nepal | Golden Boot: Chhetri (5 goals)
Nepal reached its first-ever SAFF Championship final after 13 tournament attempts.
India scored three times in the second half and won without real difficulty.
Chhetri’s 5 goals took his all-time SAFF total to 18.
His international tally reached 80, second only to Lionel Messi among active players at the time.
2023 — One Save Decided It
Host: Bengaluru | Score: 1–1 AET (5–4 pens) vs Kuwait
Kuwait, playing as a guest nation, scored first through Shabaib Al Khaldi. Lallianzuala Chhangte equalised for India.
90 minutes became 120. Penalties, sudden death, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved the decisive kick to hand India their ninth title.
Chhetri equalled Ali Ashfaq’s record of 23 SAFF Championship goals in the same tournament.
SAFF Championship Stats That Tell the Full Story
Championship Tally
| Nation | Titles | Finals | Last Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 9 | 13 | 2023 |
| Maldives | 2 | 5 | 2018 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 3 | 2003 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 2 | 1995 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 3 | 2013 |
India’s 9 titles from 13 finals give them a 69% win rate in finals they’ve reached. Overall across all 14 editions, they’ve won 64%.
All-Time Top Scorers
| Player | Nation | SAFF Goals | Golden Boots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Chhetri | India | 23 | 3 (2011, 2015, 2021) |
| Ali Ashfaq | Maldives | 23 | — |
| IM Vijayan | India | 9+ | 2 (1993, 1997) |
Chhetri and Ashfaq are level on 23. Vijayan’s total is harder to pin down precisely across the early editions, but his 6-goal 1997 campaign was the finest single-tournament performance before Chhetri’s era.
Finals Decided by Penalties
Three finals have gone to shootouts:
- 2003: Bangladesh beat Maldives 5–3 (converted all five)
- 2009: India beat Maldives 3–1
- 2023: India beat Kuwait 5–4 in sudden death
The 2023 final is the only one decided by sudden-death penalties – a single save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu ending it.
The Home Advantage Record
Seven of fourteen editions won by the host nation:
| Year | Host Champion |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Sri Lanka |
| 1999 | India |
| 2003 | Bangladesh |
| 2008 | Maldives |
| 2011 | India |
| 2015 | India |
| 2023 | India |
Half of the tournament’s champions have been host nations. That number has stayed remarkably consistent across three decades.
Five Moments That Shaped the SAFF Championship
- 1. Sri Lanka’s sudden-death winner (1995) — Set the template for what an upset looks like in this competition.
- 2. Bangladesh eliminating India in the 2003 semifinals — The only time India hasn’t reached the final; still the biggest semifinal result in SAFF history.
- 3. Chhetri’s golden boot in 2011 (7 goals) — The moment that redefined what individual performance looked like in the tournament.
- 4. Afghanistan’s 2013 title — A team that only joined in 2005 had won it by 2013. Left two years later. One title, no encore.
- 5. Gurpreet Sandhu’s save in 2023 — A penalty shootout decided by a single moment, in sudden death, in front of a home crowd in Bengaluru.
Where does the tournament stand now?
The South Asian Football Federation started with four teams and a round-robin format.
The 2023 edition had eight teams, group stages, guest nations from West Asia, and a $50,000 prize for the winner.
Afghanistan’s departure in 2015 left a gap in competition quality that took editions to fill.
Kuwait’s 2023 appearance – and their run to the final – showed that including guest nations changes the dynamic.
The next edition is expected in 2025 or 2026. India will enter as nine-time champions.
The question, as it has been since 2003, is who can actually stop them.
FAQs
- How many times has India won the SAFF Championship?
India has won 9 of 14 editions: 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2023. They’ve reached 13 finals, missing only 2003.
- Who is the SAFF Championship’s all-time top scorer?
Sunil Chhetri (India) and Ali Ashfaq (Maldives) are joint record holders with 23 goals each. Chhetri won the Golden Boot three times — in 2011, 2015, and 2021.
- Has any team other than India won back-to-back SAFF Championships?
No. India came closest with consecutive titles in 1997 and 1999, then again in 2011 and – after losses in 2013 and 2018 — in 2021 and 2023. No other nation has won consecutive editions.
- Why did Afghanistan stop competing in the SAFF Championship?
Afghanistan left the South Asian Football Federation in 2015 to join the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). Their only SAFF title came in 2013.
- Which SAFF Championship final had the biggest winning margin?
The 1997 final — India beat Maldives 5–1 in Kathmandu. IM Vijayan scored 6 goals across the tournament. It remains the tournament’s most one-sided final.
- When is the next SAFF Championship?
The next edition is expected in 2025 or 2026, following the biennial schedule. SAFF has occasionally adjusted timing around the international football calendar.
Conclusion:
Nine titles. Thirteen finals. One team has defined this tournament for three decades.
But the SAFF Championship winners list is more than India’s record.
It’s Bangladesh in 2003, Sri Lanka in 1995, Afghanistan’s brief window of dominance, and a goalkeeper diving left in Bengaluru while a stadium held its breath.
The next edition will add another name to the list.
Whether it’s the tenth for India or a first for someone new, this tournament has proved it can surprise you.
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