The value of the SAFF Championship has risen as players in European countries have linked with the tournament.
The tournament started last Thursday, before FIFA's international break began. Because of this, some teams needed to play without a full squad, specifically without players from leagues outside of Europe and South Asia.
FIFA's international break began on Monday, which has allowed many European stars competing in the SAFF Championship to join up with the national teams they will be representing.
The most famous player who has linked with the SAFF Championship is former Premier League player Hamza Choudhury. The Bangladeshi midfielder is the player with the highest value that will be seen in the 2026 SAFF Championship.
According to Transfersdotcom, a website that shares player value data, Sheffield United player Choudhury has a market value of USD 4.35 million. Data from the website shows that Choudhury's value represents more than half of the Bangladesh team, which sits at USD 7.88 million.
Farhaan Ali, a player for English Premier League club Fulham youth team, has also joined the Bangladesh team. During the pre-season, he has played in matches for Fulham's senior team under Álvaro Arbeloa's instructions.
The most valuable player after Hamza in the SAFF Championship is Pakistan captain Abdullah Iqbal, a player in top Swedish club Mjällby AIF. According to Transfersdotcom, his value sits at USD 3.26 million. He also played in this season's UEFA Champions League qualifiers. He continues to compete in UEFA's third-level competition, UEFA Conference League, with Mjällby AIF this season.
The next well-known player who connected with Pakistan national team coach Nolberto Solano's team, who was a good player in the English Premier League when he was still playing, is Azerbaijan team Sumqayıt FK defender Easah Suliman. His value on Transfersdotcom is at USD 217,500. Wing forward for Denmark's Kolding IF Abdul Samad Arshad is also an important player for Pakistan. His value sits at USD 108,750. The other player is Akbar Khan, who plays in a lower Swedish division.
There are players playing in Europe who are on Sri Lanka's team as well. One of the more important players on the team is Germany's third division team SV Waldhof Mannheim's defender Claudio Kammerknecht. His value on Transfermarkt.com is USD 435,000, making Kammerknecht the third most valuable player in the SAFF Championship.
Data from Transfermarkt.com shows that the total value of the 155 players from six countries competing in the 2026 SAFF Championship is USD 21.28 million.
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has procured popular Chinese technology company Tecno as a sponsor, with them getting many sponsors for the 2026 SAFF Championship. A staff member at SAFF has stated that they got many sponsorship deals for this year's championship, compared to previous ones.
President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and Chairman of the SAFF Competition Committee Jaswar Umar described the SAFF Championship as South Asia's World Cup.
"The SAFF Championship is the South Asian World Cup. Good quality teams will result in young supporters in the region getting new heroes in football," said Umar, who lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where the championship is being held.
The matches being played today will solidify the rest of the teams that will play in the semifinals. Pakistan and Bangladesh have already secured their slots in the semifinal.
