The 15th edition of SAFF Championship, South Asia’s biggest footballing event, has been postponed to 2026, the South Asian Football Federation announced in a statement on Friday.

“We have come to a decision to postpone the SAFF Championship to 2026 so that all our stakeholders and member associations have adequate time to organise the championship in a grand manner,” the statement said.

SAFF stated that the event was cancelled as the federation, member associations and marketing partner SportFive felt that more arrangements needed to be in place to deliver the competition, in a home or away format, in a smooth manner.

The home or away format at SAFF Championship in June 2025 would have marked a major transition in the history of South Asian football. However, fans have to wait until 2026 for that.

SAFF suggested that they would do their best to organise the 15th edition successfully in 2026 even when the world, including South Asia, would be busy with the biggest footballing event of the world—the World Cup.

“With 2026 being a FIFA World Cup year, enough attention has to be given to find an appropriate timeline and venue for the SAFF Championship,” SAFF stated.

But there have also been speculations that the postponement was a result of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India.

Meanwhile, the All Nepal Football Association informed that the Nepali men’s team would be continuing their preparation based on the updates of the tournament.

“The cancellation was unexpected,” Suresh Shah, ANFA spokesperson, said. “It is a major tournament we look forward to, so we will always be preparing for it.”

Yet, international media have also raised the possibility of Sri Lanka hosting an invitational tournament instead.

Following the SAFF Championship’s postponement, The Edition, the Maldives-based English news media, and Khel Now, an online sports media, reported that the Sri Lanka Football Federation was now working to hold an invitational tournament in July.

“Although specific details about this new competition are yet to be announced, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) is coordinating with SAFF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to finalise the plans,” Khel Now reported. FFSL hosted AFC President, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, in early April.