The SAFF Club Championship also known as South Asian Football League is a proposed premier men's football club tournament in South Asia. It is proposed to be organized by the South Asian Football Federation and will be open to clubs representing its seven members. The first edition was expected to be held in 2024 was postponed to 2026.[1]
History
SAFF president Kazi Salahuddin had wanted to create a regional club competition since he was first elected to the position in 2009. For over a decade, the plan was stalled because of a lack of sponsors.[2] In May 2023, it was announced following the federation's Ordinary Congress in Dhaka, Bangladesh that the competition would likely be held for the first time in 2024.[3] All seven member associations agreed on its creation and to participate in the first edition of the tournament. It was planned that each member association would receive one spot in the competition, with the All India Football Federation granted two spots as the largest member, for a total of eight participants.[4]
Originally, it was proposed that the tournament would be held at a central location over two weeks. However, that was then amended to a home-and-away format at the request of India. It was imagined as being played over six or seven months during the domestic league seasons.[4]
