Sri Lanka target SAFF Cup after 30 years

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka will be hoping to regain the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup after a lapse of 30 years, President, Football Federation of Sri Lanka Jaswar Umar said yesterday.      
Sri Lanka last won the SAFF Cup in 1995 when the tournament was held in Colombo.
“The Sri Lanka Men’s Football Team has developed into a good strong team. In a short period of time, we have been able to reduce the FIFA World Ranking from 205 to 200,” said the FFSL President Umar.
Under the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Saudi Arabia Qualifying Round, Sri Lanka will play six international matches and five SAFF Cup matches in 2025.
The team is also scheduled to participate in the 2025 FIFA International friendly matches and will also participate in an International Invitational Tournament in Sri Lanka in September-October 2025.
Accordingly, Sri Lanka will participate in 12 to 15 international matches in 2025 and the FFSL hopes to further increase their FIFA World Rankings. The Sri Lanka Men’s Football Team is scheduled to start the 2025 season with an AFC Qualifier against Thailand on March 25.