The 15th edition of the SAFF Championship has been postponed to 2026, with the venue and the tournament format yet to be finalised, the federation announced in a press release on Thursday.

Originally slated to be held this year, the biennial tournament has been deferred to next year as both the federation and the event sponsor, SportFive, felt that additional preparation time was necessary to ensure a smoother execution.

"The SAFF had decided to stage the prestigious SAFF Championship in a home or away format this year. Preparations had been made accordingly. However, SAFF, our Member Associations, and SportFive felt that more arrangement needed to be in place to deliver the competition in a smooth manner.

"Therefore, we have come to a decision to postpone the SAFF Championship to 2026 so that all our stakeholders and member associations have adequate time to organize the championship in a grand manner," the press release read.

SAFF also noted in the press release the importance of selecting an appropriate timeline for the tournament, especially considering the competition will now take place during a FIFA World Cup year.