SAFF Championship 2023 Final: India wins 9th title

The Indian men’s football team emerged victorious in a thrilling penalty shootout against Kuwait 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout, securing the SAFF Championship 2023 title at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Ranked 100th in the latest FIFA rankings, India triumphed in their ninth SAFF Championship out of 14 editions. This victory marked their second consecutive triumph after winning the Intercontinental Cup the previous month.

India, serving as the hosts, remained undefeated throughout the SAFF Championship 2023. They defeated Pakistan and Nepal while drawing against Kuwait in the group stage. In the semifinals, they overcame Lebanon in a penalty shootout and replicated the same feat against Kuwait in a nail-biting final. In addition to the medals, the team was awarded a cash prize of USD 50,000, equivalent to INR 41 lakh. 

Kuwait football team received the award for finishing runners-up in the SAFF Championship 2023. While all the players received medals, the team also got a cheque of US Dollar 25,000 which is around 20 lakh and about 50 thousands in Indian currency.

Awardees of the tournament

Award	Recipient
Fairplay Award	Nepal football team
Best Goalkeeper	Anisur Rahman Zico
Highest Goal-Scorer	Sunil Chhetri (6 Goals)
Most Valuable Player (MVP)	Sunil Chhetri
Runners-up	Kuwait football team

About the SAFF Football Championship

The SAFF Football Championship, also known as the South Asian Football Federation Championship, is a biennial international football tournament contested by the national teams of South Asian countries. The championship aims to promote and develop football in the region. Here is a brief history of the SAFF Football Championship:

1993: The inaugural edition of the SAFF Championship took place in Lahore, Pakistan. India emerged as the champions by defeating hosts Pakistan in the final.

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