Sri Lanka football: revolutionary hopes of a South Asian title

Just as Sri Lanka united behind the national cricket team to win the ICC Cricket World Cup on March 17, 1996, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) hopes football will receive the same surge of support from November 17, 2026, when Dhaka hosts the final of the 15th SAFF Championship, South Asia's most prestigious football tournament.

"The SAFF Championship is like the World Cup for us in South Asia. Winning it is every player's and administrator's dream. We are preparing step by step with a firm plan; the goal is to win the title after 31 years," said FFSL president Jaswar Umar from Dhaka.

The project, begun as Umar's idea three years ago, has produced 12 wins and five draws in 27 internationals. This year alone Sri Lanka have five wins in five, climbing from 207 to 184 in the FIFA rankings - a team to watch in the six-nation tournament.

"We started this as a special project; Qatar gave us tremendous help. We are now seeing its fruits; the final goal of this investment is to win the title," he said.

Sri Lanka face 192nd-ranked Bhutan tonight at 8.00pm and hosts Bangladesh on Wednesday; the semi-finals are on November 14. Head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi will follow his match-by-match approach.

"We have beaten Bhutan in the last two meetings, and twice hosts Bangladesh; but no team should be underestimated," Umar said, expressing confidence that going match by match they will bring the trophy to Sri Lanka on November 17.

Football was seen as a poor man's sport in Sri Lanka, producing neither sponsors nor stars, Umar said, adding that the game has been transformed over the past three years and will see a revolution for the better after November 17.

FIFA has pledged to help the FFSL build a 25,000-capacity international stadium to World Cup standards; 25,000 footballs will go to 55 leagues, and 40 new training and playing facilities are planned. The final goal is to make football Sri Lanka's most popular sport by 2031.