Verified

Sri Lanka in major quest to regain Cup

Sri Lanka will play against three countries outside the South Asian region in the run-up to the all-important South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup which is the team’s main target.

The matches will be FIFA-approved contests and played from September 27 to October 6 and the opponents will be Seychelles, Syria and Mauritius under the FFSL’s “Win SAFF Again” programme, aimed at helping Sri Lanka regain the SAFF Cup title after 31 years since their 1995 triumph.

Sri Lanka is scheduled to play two matches against Seychelles on September 27 and 30, followed by matches against Syria on October 4 and Mauritius on October 6 according to FFSL president Jaswar Umar.

The Sri Lankan team left for Mauritius on September 22 as part of their preparations.

Sri Lanka, who were placed 207th in the FIFA World Rankings, have climbed to 187th after their performances in the AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign marking the country’s highest ranking in 11 years.

Seychelles, ranked 204th in the FIFA World Rankings, last faced Sri Lanka in the four-nation tournament held in Colombo in 2021 and won the final after defeating Sri Lanka 3–1 on penalties. Sri Lanka has not faced Mauritius in an international match in recent years. Mauritius is ranked 178th in the FIFA World Rankings, and the match against Mauritius is expected to attract considerable attention.

A strong performance against Mauritius could provide Sri Lanka with an opportunity to improve its FIFA ranking further ahead of the South Asian championship.

The 15th edition of the SAFF Cup is scheduled to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 4 to 17, 2026. All South Asian countries, except Nepal, which is currently under a FIFA suspension, are preparing to participate in the tournament.

Sri Lanka missed the previous SAFF Championship in 2023 after the country was also under a FIFA suspension at the time.