India, the defending champions, won their record-extending ninth championship by defeating Kuwait in the final in the previous edition.. SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel has said that VAR technology may be included in this 2026 Edition.
Host selection
This edition was expected to be held in a home-and-away format, before opting for the centralized one in Sri Lanka. In April 2025, the competition was postponed to 2026 due to logistical issues with the venues, preparation periods for the competing nations, and the desire to coincide the tournament with the excitement from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, Sri Lanka withdrew as hosts due to logistics and various limitations. Subsequently, during the SAFF Executive Committee meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on 26 January 2026, it was decided that the 2026 SAFF Championship will be hosted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 21 September to 6 October 2026. Although Bangladesh was selected as the host, SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel stated that the official announcement of the host country’s name has been pending due to the finalization of sponsors. He noted that sponsors are expected to be secured very soon, after which Bangladesh will be officially announced as the host and the full match schedule will be released.
All matches are expected to be hosted across two venues, which will be selected from a shortlist of three potential locations. The National Stadium in Dhaka and the Bashundhara Kings Arena are currently the primary candidates. Additionally, the Sylhet District Stadium has been included as a potential alternative venue. The SAFF will finalize any two of these three venues for this edition of the championship.