The decision was made at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) meeting in Kathmandu. This will be the first time in 17 years that Sri Lanka is hosting South Asia’s biggest football tournament.
Sri Lanka has been given the opportunity to host the SAFF Championship in a centralized format despite initial plans for a home-and-away format.
The tournament will be held in June.
The decision was made at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) meeting in Kathmandu. This will be the first time in 17 years that Sri Lanka is hosting South Asia’s biggest football tournament.
The last time the country hosted the event was in 2008, co-hosting with Maldives.
Sri Lanka Football Association President Jaswar Umar expressed excitement, stating that hosting the SAFF Championship again was one of the key goals for Sri Lankan football.
The home-and-away format was scrapped due to logistical costs.
Additionally, political tensions between India and Pakistan have influenced the tournament structure, with their two-leg matches set to be played at a neutral venue.
Similar issues have impacted other sports, such as cricket. This year’s ICC Champions Trophy was originally planned to be held in Pakistan, but India refused to travel there, leading to the final match being played in Dubai.
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