Know every detail here about the SAFF Championship 2021 including its schedule, predictions, teams, fixtures and live stream and broadcast in India
South Asian Football Federation Championship famously known as SAFF Championship is a football tournament held every two years. The 2021 edition is now live after being delayed for more than 2 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last edition of the SAFF Championship was won by Maldives in 2018. This year, Maldives are the hosts and all the matches will be played in the country.
So, here are all the details about the SAFF Championship including the team details, schedule, and predictions.
SAFF Championship 2021 Predictions, Schedule, Fixtures, Live Stream And Broadcast In India
Teams
India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Sri Lanka are the teams competing in the tournament. Pakistan was ineligible to take part as they were handed PFF was sanctioned by FIFA in April 2021. India has won the tournament a maximum of seven times, Maldives won their 2nd title in 2018. Whereas Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have lifted the trophy once.
Bhutan canceled its participation due to Covid-19 protocols.
Bangladesh
- Appearance: 12th
- Champions: 2003
- FIFA ranking: 189
India
- Appearance: 13th
- Champions: 7 Times (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015)
- FIFA Ranking: 107
Maldives
- Appearance: 11th
- Champions: 2008, 2018
- FIFA ranking: 158
Nepal
- Appearance: 13th
- Best Performance: Third-Place (1993)
- FIFA ranking: 168
Sri Lanka
- Appearance: 13th
- Champions: 1995
- FIFA ranking: 205
Predictions
India is the clear favorite to win this edition. However, the recent friendlies have concluded that Nepal and Bangladesh have emerged as a strong team too. So, we cannot expect a simple win this time and India will have to battle with their new manager in order to win this title.
Here are our predictions for the 2021 edition of the SAFF Championship
- Winners: India
- Runner-up: Nepal
- 3rd Place: Maldives
- 4th Place: Bangladesh
Schedule, Venue, And Fixtures
All the matches will be played in the Maldives at National Football Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of more than 11,00 fans.
All the teams will be playing four matches each, facing each team once in the competition. The top two teams will be featuring in the finals.
Indian Team Fixtures
- October-4: Bangladesh vs India (IST 4.30 pm).
- October-7: India vs Sri Lanka (IST 4.30 pm).
- October-10: Nepal vs India (IST 9.30 pm)
- October-13: India vs Maldives (IST 9.30 pm)
Live Stream And Telecast Link
- Bangladesh: T Sports
- India: Eurosport
- Maldives: Yes TV
- Nepal: Action Sports
- Sri Lanka: Football Sri Lanka TV and Supreme TV