2026 SAFF U-23 Championship

The 2026 SAFF U-23 Championship is the inaugural edition of the SAFF U-23 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-23 national teams from South Asia region, organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament scheduled to be played in Dhaka, Bangladesh from May 2026.

Host selection

At the SAFF Executive Committee virtual meeting, held on 8 January 2025 in the Dhaka, Bangladesh. The SAFF tournament committee announced the name of Bangladesh host country of the tournament.

Participating teams

The following seven teams will participate in the competition.

Team	Appearancesin the SAFF U-23 Championship	Previous best performance
Bangladesh (Host)	Debut	—N/a
Bhutan	Debut	—N/a
India	Debut	—N/a
Maldives	Debut	—N/a
Nepal	Debut	—N/a
Pakistan	Debut	—N/a
Sri Lanka	Debut	—N/a

Players eligibility

Each team had to register a squad of minimum 16 and maximum 23 players. Players born on or after 1 January 2004 were eligible to compete in the tournament (as per FIFA eligibility rules of underage competitions).

Squads

Venue

All matches will held at the National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dhaka	Dhaka
National Stadium
23°43′40.2″N 90°24′48.4″E/23.727833°N 90.413444°E/ 23.727833; 90.413444(Dhaka)
Capacity: 36,000 seats

Draw

The draw ceremony of the tournament yet to be held.

Draw result

Draw Ceremony has not been held yet.

Match officials

Referees

Not yet selected. List Will be selected soon.

Assistant referees

Not yet selected. List Will be selected soon.