SRI LANKA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
WORLD RANKING: 204
GOVERNING BODY:-
Football Sri Lanka
HEAD COACH:-
Amir Alagić
MOST CAPPED PLAYER:-
Channa Ediri Bandanage
TOP GOALSCORER:-
Kasun Jayasuriya
NICKNAME:-
Golden Army
The Sri Lanka national football team represents Sri Lanka in football and is controlled by the Football Sri Lanka, the governing body of football in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s home grounds are Colombo Racecourse, Sugathadasa Stadium and Kalutara Stadium.
The Sri Lankan team was known as the Ceylon national football team until 1972 when Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.
A member of the AFC, the team has yet to make their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup or AFC Asian Cup finals.
They have been South Asian champions once, in 1995. As is true elsewhere on the sub-continent, top-level football in Sri Lanka stands somewhat in the shadow of the country’s test cricket team.
However, the side did reach the second qualification stage for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the same year, they became the runners-up in the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup.
In 2014, at the 75th anniversary of FFSL, FIFA President Sepp Blatter visited Sri Lanka and opened a new football stadium in Jaffna.
During the visit, Blatter said he was not pleased with the development of football in Sri Lanka and that the authorities haven’t taken enough steps to support football on the island. The AFC President Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also joined the visit.
In the qualification round of the 2018 World Cup, Sri Lanka lost both matches against Bhutan and failed to qualify for the next round.
However, the Sri Lanka national football team had managed to qualify for the semifinals of the 2015 SAFF Championship.
Football in Sri Lanka
Football in Sri Lanka is mainly played at a semi-professional and recreational level.
Despite not being as well-regarded as the country’s cricket team, football is the third biggest sport in Sri Lanka (after cricket and rugby union).
Level 1 – Sri Lanka Champions League
The S1 League, or simply S1, is the top division of the Sri Lanka Professional Football League.
Currently, the S1 League is the first level of Sri Lanka’s football league system.
The second tier is represented by the S2 League. It is currently sponsored by Dialog Axiata and thus, officially known as the Dialog S1 League.
The league was conducted in various formats. Apart from the league system, a playoff stage was included in the 2013–14 season.
Currently, 18 clubs are participating in the tournament. Saunders have won the most titles in the league, winning 12 titles. Rathnam have won the title 5 times, Renown 4 times, and Colombo 3 times.
In recent times, different clubs have been able to win the championship title.
Level 2 – Kit Premier League Division I
Division I is the second-level division of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka.
12-15 teams represent this division divided into two groups. The top team of each group of this division is promoted to the Kit Premier League while the last team of both groups is relegated to Sri Lanka Football Division II.
Level 3 – Kit Premier League Division II
Division II is the third level division tournament organized by the Sri Lanka Football Federation.
Sri Lanka FA Cup
The Sri Lanka FA Cup is an annual knockout cup competition in Sri Lankan football.
It is the oldest football competition in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka FA Cup is organised by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka.