The SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015 will be the 11th SAFF Championship, a regional football tournament for South Asian international teams. The bustling coastal city of Trivandrum in India will be the venue for the 2015 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship from 23rd December 2015 to 3rd January 2016.
Since its inception in 1993, when it was called the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup, the tournament has served to promote the beautiful game and facilitate its development across the region.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal are the countries who participate in the biennial tournament.
India has thrived in this competition and has largely dominated proceedings winning 6 out of its 10 editions, with 3 runners-up spots and 1 third-place finish. Maldives (2008), Bangladesh (2003) and Sri Lanka (1995) also have one title each to their names.
However, since joining the competition in 2005, Afghanistan have proved to be the biggest threat to India’s supremacy having finished as runners-up in 2011 before beating them in the most recent edition in 2013 to win their first title.
This year, Afghanistan is in Group B of the competition alongside Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Their first game is against Bangladesh on 24th December 2015. You can follow the 2015 SAFF competition live on TOLO TV and Lemar TV.