ANFA Honors National Team Players with Rs 2.5 lakh each

All Nepal Football Association honors National Team players for their good performance in SAFF Championhsip 2013. Nepal delivered outstanding performance in the 8th edition of the SAFF Championship 2013 held at the home. Despite of brave and brilliant display in Semi- final, Nepal had to suffer narrow defeat to satisfy as a semifinalist . 

All Nepal Football Association honors every squad member with an individual cash prize of Nrs 2,50,000 . ANFA president Mr Ganesh Thapa awarded the cash prize to the team members on behalf of All Nepal Football Association. ANFA have collected NRS 2,70,00,000 (approx) from the gate money in SAFF Championship which was held from October 31st to 11th September .

SAFF Championship 2013 Final: Afghanistan Beat India by 2-0 to be Champion

Afghanistan defeated India by 2-0 to win the 7th Season of SAFF Championship 2013.Mustafa Azadzoy and Sanjar ahamadi scored apiece for the winning side. India entered the final of the tournament with 1-0 victory over Maldives in the second semi final match of SAFF Championship 2013 .

Afghan Player Celebrating

Meanwhile Afghanistan sidelined Nepal 1-0 in first semifinal played at Dasarath Rangashala in front of 22,000 approx home fans to proceed to the finals of the tournament.

Champion Afghanistan Football Team

SAFF Championship 2013 Final Live: Live Stream of India Vs Afghanistan

Dear readers as in the previous edition of the SAFF Championship two teams India and Afghanistan are again playing against each-other to be crowned as the South Asian  Champion of the Football. India has entered the final for seven times while this is Afghanistan second chance playing in Final. Afghanistan had beat Nepal in the semifinal as it did in previous edition and India had beat Maldives in semifinal as it did in previous edition. Afghanistan are ranked above India in the present FIFA Ranking and had many foreign based player who play club football in Europe and few of them also played club football in India.

 India will be happy as their inspiring captain sunil chhetri will be back in squad after missing semifinal due to two yellow cards in two consecutive matches. There will not be huge number of crowd in stadium but the final match will be interesting. As usual yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com  will bring live streaming and Live update of the match for its viewers. If you are out of the south Asia you can watch the Live stream of the Match in YouTube but if you are in South Asia live stream will be only available for you in our site.

Stay with us till the Match will start

Match Details:

SAFF Championship 2013

Final India Vs Afghanistan

Date: 11th September 10, 2013

 Time: 18:30 NST

Venue: Dashrath Rangashala Stadium, Kathmandu

Afghanistan player Farzad Ghulamhad had Cardiac Arrest during match

Afghanistan Player Farzad Ghulam suffered cardiac arrest during first semifinal and was rushed to Blue cross hospital in Tripureshwor Kathmandu. This was happen during the First semifinal of the SAFF championship Semfinal match between Nepal and Afghanistan. He was injured after having the collision with Nepali player Bharat Khawas.Apart from all the actions there were two major incidents which people were sharing their view and talking after the match ended. 

Farzad Ghulamhad

Arguably the most talked story of the match was Rohit Chand penalty and the next one was an Ambulance straight into the ground. Afghanistan player Farzad Ghulam was down to ground and it looked like a normal injury. Some of the players showed instant reaction that the situation was severe and called the physio with their nervy hands ,as the physio was there they took some precaution but it was out of his hand and called for an emergency ambulance .

Farzad’s heart stopped beating for a few seconds before life-saving CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was given as the Ambulance rushed into the ground.

ANFA has confirmed Farzad Ghulam is nursing and under observation at Blue Cross Hospital.He had lost consciousness in the match and is stable and will be kept in observation for 24 hours.We wish him for the speedy recovery.

SAFF Championship 2013 Live: Live Stream of India Vs Maldives.

After the exit of the Host Country Nepal losing against Afghanistan by 1-0 in the first semifinal of SAFF Championship 2013 India will be facing Maldives.

In the Previous edition of the Tournament Maldives went down against Host India in the semifinal and the form of Maldives didn’t suggest the same result . Maldives has been in very good form recently with the captain Ali Ashfaq breaking quite a few records for his individula name and his coutry. 

Ali Asfaq has cross Sunil Chhetri’s record of highest score in a tournament which was 7 before. Since Chhetri is suspended followed by numbers to yellow cards, this means Maldives will have advantage to take over out of form Indians.

India were qualified in the semifinals as the group A runner ups after getting down to Nepal and qualifying ahead of Pakistan on ahead to head rule while Maldives made it to the final round as the group winners, as they ensured their berth in a greater goal difference sharing equal points with Afghanistan who made it to the final of the tournament beating the home team. As usual yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will bring the live Streaming and Live update of the Match to its readers and Viewers.

Viewers outside the South Asian Country can watch the Live stream of the Match in Youtube while viewers from south Asia can enjoy live Stream of the Match here in our site. Stay with us till the Match Start.

Match Details:
SAFF Championship 2013
Semifinal Match
India Vs Maldives
Date:9th September 2013
Time:18:30 NST
Venue: Dashrath Stadium

SAFF championship 2013 Live Stream: Nepal Vs Afghanistan Live Stream

Dear readers Nepal Vs Afghanistan First Semifinal Match of the SAFF Championship 2013 is about to begin. Here we are presenting you the Live Stream of the Match for all the Viewers from Nepal and South Asia. Youtube stream will not be available for the viewers from Nepal, Afghanistan and other Countries.First give time to laod the page cross the add and enjoy the Live stream of the Match.

SAFF championship 2013 : Nepal Vs Afghanistan Pre Match Analysis

Dear Readers Nepal is facing Afghanistan in the Semifinal of the SAFF Championship and Nepal has been waiting to make a History by winning the semifinal and Entering the Final. Here we are presenting the Pre Match Analysis of the SAFF Championship 2013. 


waiwaiting to

SAFF Championship 2013 Nepal vs Afghanistan Live, Match Preview.

Earlier in 2011 edition, Afghanistan defeated Nepal 1-0 thanks to Belal Arezou strike in added extra time. 
Semifinal match, in front of die heart 22 thousand  plus supporters is going to be a memorable match which Nepal is desperate to win for the sake of gold medal in international football which they haven't won for two decades. 

Click Here to watch the Live Stream of Nepal Vs Afghanistan 

Click Here to get the Live update of the Nepal Vs Afghanistan 
Afghanistan, which is the highest ranked team among SAARC countries, didn't impress much in the group stage matches but they have quality players including some foreign based players. Nepal, being in the group of death, played spirited game throughout the group stage matches and also defeated India after two decades. 

Nepal’s impressive performance in the group matches has not only boosted the team confidence but also solidified its bid to win the title. 

Tournaments Performance:

Nepal clinched two victories and played one draw on the way to semifinals. Nepal blanked Bangladesh 2-0 in its first match and played memorable 1-1 draw against Pakistan in its second match. 2-1 win over India was just over the moon for all Nepalese football lovers. 

Afghanistan played below bar but won two matches and played one draw against Maldives before setting semifinal clash with Nepal. 

Injuries and Suspensions

Both teams are free from suspension as Nepal has done a good job to find very few yellow cards while Afghanistan caoch Yousef Kargar was fully aware of the situation because of which he rested Ashar Ahmed against Maldives.

Nepal has some injury problems with the likes of Jagjeet Shrestha unable to perform to his caliber. He has been unable to feature full time which is really a trouble to Nepal but coach Jack Stefanowski has done very well to rotate the substitutions to balance the team. Bhola Silwal and Sandip Rai both skipped training on Saturday not to sustain further more injuries.

Predicted Lineup – Nepal

Raju Tamang was too quick to give away possession to the opponent while Bikram Lama who took his place as a sub was fine enough to balance the heart of the midfield which means Bikram Lama could start ahead of Raju.

Kiran Chemjong, Biraj Maharjan, Sagar Thapa, Sandip Rai, Rabin Shrestha, Rohit Chand, Bikram Lama, Bhola Silwal, Bharat Khawas, Anil Gurung, Jumanu Rai

 Head to Head

In head to Head The result will be counted only unto Regular 90 minutes time

                                     Nepal        Vs       Afghanistan

Total Played                5                             5

Won                             3                             0

Loss                             0                             3

Drawn                          2                             2

18 Mar 2003	Nepal v Afghanistan	W	4-0	Asian Cup
17 Oct 2008	Nepal v Afghanistan	D	2-2	International
09 Dec 2009	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-3	International
07 Apr 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-1	AFC Challenge Cup
09 Dec 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	D	0-0	SAFF (AFG won in AET)

Coaches views:

Afghanistan coach Yusuf Karger: We know about Nepal very well. But we didn't want to play Nepal in semifinal. They look better with home fans. But we are ready fot the match. 

Nepal Coach Jack Stefanoski

Our Target is to win the Championship so we will play for win. We will play Natural game.

SAFF Championship 2013: Live Update of Semifinal Nepal Vs Afghanistan

Dear readers Nepal will be facing new powerhouse of football in south Asia Afghanistan in the semifinal of SAFF Championship 2013. Nepal and Afghanistan while play semifinal that will be repetition of the semifinal clash of two year ago but the venue and condition will be different.
When Nepal had played semifinal of previous edition Nepal was no one in FIFA ranking among south Asian countries while that pleasure is with Afghanistan. But FIFA ranking has nothing to do with the Clash expect it’s the way to rank the team. As it is semifinal Bout both team will be playing for the win to secure their position in championship bout. As usual yours Favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will bring the live stream and live update of the SAFF championship semifinal Match between Nepal and Afghanistan to its readers from Nepal, Afghanistan and all Over the world. 

Nepal Vs Afghanistan Head to Head: 

 In head to Head The result will be counted only unto Regular 90 minutes time

                                     Nepal        Vs       Afghanistan

Total Played                5                             5

Won                             3                             0

Loss                             0                             3

Drawn                           2                             2

18 Mar 2003	Nepal v Afghanistan	W	4-0	Asian Cup
17 Oct 2008	Nepal v Afghanistan	D	2-2	International
09 Dec 2009	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-3	International
07 Apr 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-1	AFC Challenge Cup
09 Dec 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	D	0-0	SAFF (AFG won in AET)

 Click Here to Watch the Live Stream of Nepal Vs Afghanistan 

 Live update will be updated after the Match will Start so keep checking the site

Match Details:
SAFF Championship 2013
First Semifinal
Nepal Vs Afghanistan
Date: 8th September 2013
Time: 18:30 NST
Venue: Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu
Update:
65' Looks like serious injury to Afghanistan player. Dr Binamra Bista runs with defibrillator. Treatment is on. ambulance is called.
46' Second half Starts Nepal dominating the Field 
45+2' First half Over Nepal dominating the Match but down by 1-0 due to blunder from Kiran
45' 2 Minutes of Added time
30' Nepal are playing attacking game though Midfielder looks Nervous 
27' Afghanistan leading by 1-0 against Nepal Don't forget to Refresh the page 
14' Rohit Chand gave wonderful ball to Bharat khawas but Bharat failed to utilize is delayed with the Ball
11' GOAL! Aghanistan scores a goal. Goalie Kiran makes a mistake. Sanjar Ahamdi scores.. What a poor goalkeeping. Kiran fails to get hold on the ball properly.
9' Bhola Silwal is fouled down, referee looks calm with card, Sandip Rai takes the kick, OMG! what a kick.. going..going..going but goalie punches the ball out.
5' Rabin Shrestha crosses the ball from the flank, Anil Gurung goes for a header, he jumps well but goalie easily saves the ball.
3' Free kick to Afghanistan, Haroon Fakruddin is ready for the kick, his low kick is well saved by goalie Kiran Chemjong.
1' Oh hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Anil Gurung nearly finds the score. What a shot but goalie makes a good save. Nepal earns a corner kick, Raju Tamang takes thekick, Mustafa Hadid clears the ball out.Here is Live Stream of Nepal Vs Afghanistan Live for the Viewers from Nepal and South Asia

Are you out of Nepal and want to watch the Match Live then you can click here to watch the Match Live 
Nepal vs Afghanistan Live Stream Online

Both Teams are warming up

Flood Light had been lit and electrifying environment here around the stadium

 Idham Mohammad Tumah is the Man incharge today
Nepal XI:    Kiran, Sagar, Sandip, Rabin, Biraj, Rohit, Bhola, Raju, Bharat, Anil Gurung, Jumanu Rai 
Afghanistan XI : Mohammad Rafi, Yusef Mashrigi, Mustafa, Amiruddin, Farzaid, Mustafa, Haroon, Mansure, Sanjar, Belal, Mujtab 



Stadium is almost Occupied still few spectators to come and here is amazing Environment no rain here till now
Spectators outside stadium who didn't get ticket are shouting slogan against ANFA

There are always more than 5000 spectators in the Stadium and already cheering for Nepal

Three More hours to go and spectators are already in the stadium securing their seats
Gate are now Opening and the spectators are now entering with the Patience 

We are ready are you all ready for the Historical match?? Put your Comments The day is sunny today here in Kathmandu, Lots of peoples gathering around the Dashrath Stadium to enter the Stadium 
There is use mass gathered around the Dashrath Stadium since the early morning to take the Ticket. It seems like there is no any impact of the increment of the ticket price.

SAFF Championship 2013 Semifinal:Watch Live Stream of Nepal Vs Afghanistan

Dear readers Nepal will be facing new powerhouse of football in south Asia Afghanistan in the semifinal of SAFF Championship 2013. Nepal and Afghanistan while play semifinal that will be repetition of the semifinal clash of two year ago but the venue and condition will be different.
When Nepal had played semifinal of previous edition Nepal was no one in FIFA ranking among south Asian countries while that pleasure is with Afghanistan. But FIFA ranking has nothing to do with the Clash expect it’s the way to rank the team. As it is semifinal Bout both team will be playing for the win to secure their position in championship bout. As usual yours Favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will bring the live stream and live update of the SAFF championship semifinal Match between Nepal and Afghanistan to its readers from Nepal, Afghanistan and all Over the world. 

Nepal Vs Afghanistan Head to Head: 

 In head to Head The result will be counted only unto Regular 90 minutes time

                                     Nepal        Vs       Afghanistan

Total Played                5                             5

Won                             3                             0

Loss                             0                             3

Drawn                           2                             2

18 Mar 2003	Nepal v Afghanistan	W	4-0	Asian Cup
17 Oct 2008	Nepal v Afghanistan	D	2-2	International
09 Dec 2009	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-3	International
07 Apr 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	W	0-1	AFC Challenge Cup
09 Dec 2011	Afghanistan v Nepal	D	0-0	International (AFG Won in AET)

 Live stream will be updated after the Match will Start so keep checking the site

 You Can also Click Here to Watch Nepal Vs Afghanistan  if you are in Nepal and South Asian Country
Match Details:
SAFF Championship 2013
First Semifinal
Nepal Vs Afghanistan
Date: 8th September 2013
Time: 18:30 NST
Venue: Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu

SAFF Championship 2013: Nepal to face Afghanistan in semifinal

The semifinal Match of the SAFF Championship 2013 will be same as the semifinal of SAFF Championship 2013 and they only different is that Afghanistan have to face Nepal in front of 20 thousands home crowd cheering for their Opponent.Afghanistan face home crowd in the first semifinal as they end up runner ups on goal difference sharing equal points with group leaders Maldives.
The defending finalist Afghanistan got unlucky in the very beginning as they were first to create the threat to their opponent on a match with a slow tempo. Mashrigi met the easiest of a chance he would have ever got, but failed to get the slightest touch on the ball in Jamhour’s pass who makes it available after great control on a ball that arrived from their own half.

The four time finalist and one time winners Maldives in the other hand could have got ahead but unmarked Mohamed Umair fails to place the ball well tidy for a goal. His shot on target was a loose one as he places it directly to opponent keeper resulted on a fine ball from Shafi Ahmadi.
The first half lacked any serious attacks to mention as the teams ended labeled followed by few misses and midfield battle from either.
Afghanistan were again first to mess on their chance in the second half as Sanjar Ahmadi let go fine chance in 64th minute. Maldivian keeper was up front to punch away a free kick ball from Afghanistan captain that landed on Ahmadi who skies the ball over the crossbar way too off target.
The best of action came in the last minute of the game when Maldives got one vs one chance in injury time on which man of the match Umair’s shot was blocked by Mansur Fagiryar. Afghanistan initiated quick counter attack to get two back to back attacks which were all victims of brilliant save from Maldivian keeper Imran Mohamed. While in the other Match played between minnows Bhutan and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka won against Bhutan by 5-2 in another high scoring match of the Tournament.
Afghanistan will play Nepal on Sunday in the first semifinal while the second semifinal will be played between defending champions India and group B winners Maldives on Monday. Stay with us for the live update and Live Stream of the SAFF Championship Match between Nepal and Afghanistan.

Click here to get the Points Table of SAFF Championship 2013

SAFF Championship 2013: Watch Live Stream of Maldives Vs Afghanistan

Dear readers two semifinalist of the SAFF Championship 2013 Afghanistan and Maldives will play against each other to be the Group winner from the Group B. Both teams have been already through to semifinal but both teams want to enter the semifinal as Group winner. As Sri Lanka and Bhutan are already out of the tournament but will play for pride against each other. 

Yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantsports.com will bring the live update and Live stream of the SAFF Championship Match between Maldives and Afghanistan. Maldivian Striker Ali Ashfaq is on fire as he score double and a hat rick is two consecutive Matches while Afghanistan had also comfortably beaten both the teams.

Match Details
SAFF Championship 2013
Group B League Match
Maldives Vs Afghanistan
Date:6th October 2013
Time: 3:30 NST
Venue: Dashrath Stadium

SAFF Championship 2013: Live Stream of Pakistan Vs Bangladesh

Group A of SAFF Championship 2013 is Open to all the teams though Nepal and India are leading the Points Table. Pakistan is facing Bangladesh in the third match and both teams are in the condition to win the match, Even win of any team in the match won’t sure their position to the semifinal and they have to depend upon the result of another Match to be played as the same time between Nepal and India. If another Match between Nepal and india will tie the semifinal berth for Pakistan and Bangladesh will be close. As usual yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com is bringing you the live update and Live Stream of the Match between Pakistan and Bangladesh

Match Details:

SAFF Championship 2013

Group A League Match

Bangladesh vs Pakistan

Date: 5th September 2013

Time: 3:30 NST

Venue: Halchowk Stadium

SAFF championship 2013 Live : Watch Live Stream of Nepal Vs India

The Dasarath Rangashala will experience one of the most anticipated match when Nepal will take on India in their third and last match of Group. Though India and Nepal are not the arch Rival but the football Match between these two teams will attract viewers from the south asian Countries.

  The Group is well open for all the teams as either of four could make it into the next round of the tournament. Nepal with four points leads the group with similar points to India but are ahead in goal difference. Meanwhile, Bangladesh-Pakistan share equal one point, still both have chance mathematically but need to rely in Nepal-India match.
Yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com  will bring you the Live Stream of Nepal Vs India.
Stay with us for the Live Stream when the match will Start.

Click Here to Get the Points Table of SAFF Championship 2013

Click Here to Get the Live Update of Nepal Vs India

SAFF Championship 2013 Live: Live update of Nepal Vs India

The Dasarath Rangashala will experience one of the most anticipated match when Nepal will take on India in their third and last match of Group. Though India and Nepal are not the arch Rival but the football Match between these two teams will attract viewers from the south asian Countries.

  The Group is well open for all the teams as either of four could make it into the next round of the tournament. Nepal with four points leads the group with similar points to India but are ahead in goal difference. Meanwhile, Bangladesh-Pakistan share equal one point, still both have chance mathematically but need to rely in Nepal-India match. The most exciting Match of Nepal Vs India will be Brought to its readers by www.anantasports.com. Stay with us as the match begins for the Live update.
 Click here to watch the Live Stream of Nepal Vs India

Click Here to get The points table of SAFF Championship 2013

SAFF Championship 2013: Pre Match Preview and Head to Head

The Dasarath Rangashala will experience one of the most anticipated match when Nepal will take on India in their third and last match of Group. Though India and Nepal are not the arch Rival but the football Match between these two teams will attract viewers from the south asian Countries.
  The Group is well open for all the teams as either of four could make it into the next round of the tournament. Nepal with four points leads the group with similar points to India but are ahead in goal difference. Meanwhile, Bangladesh-Pakistan share equal one point, still both have chance mathematically but need to rely in Nepal-India match.

Click Here to Get the Points Table of SAFF Championship 2013

Click Here to Get the Live Update of Nepal Vs India

Click Here to Get the Live Stream of Nepal Vs India

Nepal started their journey with 2-0 win over Bangladesh as Anil Gurung and man of the match Bharat Khawas scored a piece in the first half. Nepal has three goals in their name as Bimal Gharti Magar scored extra time goal to ensure 1 point against Pakistan , they could not hold their 70 minutes long lead for couple of more minutes .

India in the other hand started with hard fought victory over Pakistan as the own goal remained only one which was enough to give the defending champions what they needed. Similar to Nepal, India came from behind, in injury time on a Sunil Chhetri’s direct free kick goal to steal away victory from Bangladesh to grab one point.

The six time winners will face Nepal who is yet to prove themselves in the tournament all time with the third place being their best so far in the tournament. They are yet to win or even enter the final which fans expect with huge fan support at home.
Semi Final Probability and Scenario.
If Tied: This would be the most easy of calculations. If Nepal ties up in score with India, they will qualify as the group winners and India will make into the semifinals as the runner-ups, no matter what Bangladesh-Pakistan score remains.
If Nepal wins: Nepal will qualify as the group winners while India has to depend on Bangladesh-Pakistan result. India will eventually make to the next round as group runner-ups if Pakistan wins while Bangladesh victory means the battle will go into goal difference count.
If India wins: If India wins , Nepal have to rely on Bangladesh – Pakistan result. If Bangladesh wins, Nepal is ultimately promoted to next round on a head-to-head basis while Pakistan victory means Nepal needs to count on the goal difference.
Head to Head
The host side has always struggled over India in previous occasions with just two victories in 13 officially officiated matches. The last meeting came on a Nehru cup match when Nepal played goalless draw despite of brave display with attacking problems.

Total : 13

India win : 10
Nepal Win : 2
Draw: 1
Though the history is in favour of India the present scenario is in favour of Nepal as Nepal is playing better football than India.

1985: Second SAF 0-2 LOST

1987: Third SAF 0-1 LOST

1989: Fourth SAF 1-2 LOST

1993: Sixth SAF 2-2 DRAWN (4-3 TB) WON

1993: First SAARC Gold Cup 0-1 LOST

1995: Seventh SAF 0-3 LOST

1998: 13th Asian Games 0-1 LOST

1999: Eighth SAF 0-4 LOST

2005: Fourth SAFF Championships 1-2 LOST

2006: First AFC Challenge Cup 3-0 WON

2008: Fifth SAFF Championships 0-4 LOST

2009: Sixth SAFF Championships 0-1 LOST

2012: Nehru Cup 0-0 DRAWN

Catpain Sagar Thapa speaks ahead of heated clash against India and says the team wants to win, knowing a draw is sufficient to qualify as the group winners.

History of SAFF Championship:From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship

Also Known as the World cup of South Asia, the history of SAFF Championship dates back to 1993 AD when the four nations of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) started a regional football tournament to strengthen football in the region. The first Championship was held in 1993 as the “South Asian Association of regional Co-operation” Gold Cup in Lahore, Pakistan. Only four nations India, Nepal, Sri Lanka participated along with the hosts Pakistan. The Trophy was won by India, stamping its position as the regional powerhouse.In 1995 the competition got another name “South Asian Gold Cup” which was held in Sri Lanka. Though six nations agreed to participate, Maldives later withdrew from the competition leaving only five teams, Bangladesh being the new one joining the nations from first edition. Hosts Sri Lanka won the Cup defeating India in the finals.

It was only after the next edition in 1997 that the championship got a new name, now called “South Asian Football Federation” championships. The first SAFF Cup was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. With Maldives joining, it saw six nations competing for the title.It was India once again winning back the championship lost two years earlier,reinstating itself as the region’s strongest team.

The second SAFF Championships were held in Goa in April 1999. With the same six nations participating, India defended its title beating Maldives in the finals.

Although SAFF decided to make it a biennial event, the following years saw some difficulties and the third edition could be held only in the year 2003, this time with all the eight nations from the region participating, Bhutan and Afghanistan making it for the first time. The hosts Bangladesh won the finals for the first time. It is the only time, India haven’t reached the finals till the present edition.

The fourth SAFF Championships were held in Karachi, Pakistan in 2005. Bangladesh and India played out the final in a repeat of the 1999 final.  India came out on top again, winning the title for the fourth time.

For the first time, the fifth edition of the Championship was held jointly by two nations, Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2008. Though scheduled for 2007, it had to be postponed for technical reasons.  In the finals, Maldives overcame tournament favorites and defending champions India, to lift the title.

The sixth SAFF Championship was initially to be hosted by India, but after a number of reasons, the tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2009. India was again in the finals, this time against a well-known opponent, Maldives. India went on to win the title in tie-breakers, winning the championship for a record fifth time. No other country has ever won the Championship more than once.

The seventh SAFF Championship was hosted by India in 2011. Originally scheduled to be hosted by Orissa, the venue was later switched to New Delhi. India rose up to the occasion once again, winning the tournament with an emphatic victory over Afghanistan, who were into the finals for the first time.

This time Nepal is hosting the Championship in Kathmandu with the great hope of overcoming the misery of the Previous Edition of the Tournaments. Nepal always known as one of the strongest team are lacking behind in the Tournament. We hope this time Nepal will end the tournament in winning note.