2015 SAFF Championship
The 2015 SAFF Championship (officially known as the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015 for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organized by SAFF. It was held in India from 23 December 2015 to 3 January 2016.
| 2015 SAFF Suzuki Cup | |
|---|---|
2015 SAFF Championship official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | India |
| Dates | 23 December 2015 – 3 January 2016 |
| Teams | 7 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | India (7th title) |
| Runners-up | Afghanistan |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 44 (3.67 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Khaibar Amani (4 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Sunil Chhetri |
Heading into the tournament, Afghanistan were the defending champions of the tournament, with it also being the last time they can officially take part, as they have become members of the newly formed Central Asian Football Association.
Originally scheduled to take place in July 2015, monsoon season and schedule congestion led to the tournament being postponed to late December. The tournament saw no participation from Pakistan, who withdrew from the tournament in November 2015 due a dispute within the nation's football federation.
India was chosen as the host nation on 10 September 2013 with the host venue to be decided between Delhi and Kerala. In July 2015, it was announced that matches during the tournament would be held at the Trivandrum International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This is the third time in which India has hosted the tournament, when it was known as the Gold Cup in 1999 and under the current name in 2011.