|  | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bhutan | 
| Dates | 18–27 September | 
| Teams | 5 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Venue(s) | Changlimithang Stadium (in Thimphu host cities) | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Nepal (2nd title) | 
| Runners-up |  Bangladesh | 
| Third place |  India | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 | 
| Goals scored | 26 (2.6 per match) | 
| Attendance | 38,737 (3,874 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) |  Jafar Iqbal (5 goals) | 
| Best player(s) |  Orgyen Tshering | 
| Fair play award |  Bhutan | 
The 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship was the 2nd edition of the SAFF U-18 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-18 national teams organized by SAFF. But since most teams use to send their U-18 team keeping in mind 2018 AFC U-19 Championship qualification it has been officially changed to U-18 tournament. The tournament was hosted by Bhutan 18–27 September 2017.[1]
Host selection
A draw for tournament ceremony was held on 10 July 2017 at conference room of Bangladesh Football Federation.
SAFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal and BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag, were among others present on the occasion.[1]
Player eligibility
Players born on or after 1 January 1999 are eligible to compete in the tournament.
Participating teams
On 6 September 2017 it was announced that Sri Lanka withdrew from the tournament whereas Pakistan didn't take part due to internal turmoil.[2]
| Team | Appearances in the SAFF U-19 Championship | Previous best performance | 
|---|---|---|
|  Bangladesh | 2nd | Semi finals (2015) | 
|  Bhutan (Host) | 2nd | Group Stage | 
|  India | 2nd | Runners-Up (2015) | 
|  Maldives | 2nd | Group Stage | 
|  Nepal | 2nd | Champion (2015) | 
Venue
| Thimphu | 
|---|
| Changlimithang Stadium | 
| Capacity: 25,000 | 
|  | 
Match officials
- Referees
 Abdur Rahman Dhali Abdur Rahman Dhali
 Ugyen Dorji Ugyen Dorji
 Pratik Mondal Pratik Mondal
 Hussain Sinan Hussain Sinan
 Laba Khatri Laba Khatri
 Farook M. Irshad Farook M. Irshad
- Assistant Referees
 Mohammad Shah Alam Mohammad Shah Alam
 Phurpa Wangchuk Phurpa Wangchuk
 Mohan Ravi Mohan Ravi
 Karma Yeshi Karma Yeshi
 Padam Bahadur Bhujel Padam Bahadur Bhujel
 Sampath Liyanagunawardena Sampath Liyanagunawardena
- Referee Supervisor
Format
After Sri Lanka U18 opted out from the event. Now the championship will be played on round robin basis. Each team will face every other team once respectively and the team with the most points will win the title.[3]
Standings
| Key to colours in group tables | |
|---|---|
| Champion | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Status | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nepal (C) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | Champion | 
| 2 |  Bangladesh | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 |  India | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 |  Bhutan (H) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 6 | |
| 5 |  Maldives | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored;
(C) Champions; (H) Hosts
Notes:
| Bangladesh  | 4–3 |  India | 
|---|---|---|
| Jafar Iqbal  55', 90+1' Rahmat Mia  60' Mahbubur Rahman Sufil  74' | Report | 
 | 
| Maldives  | 0–1 |  Bhutan | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
 | 
| Bhutan  | 1–0 |  Nepal | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
| Maldives  | 0–2 |  Bangladesh | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
| India  | 3–0 |  Bhutan | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
| India  | 2–1 |  Maldives | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
| Bangladesh  | 1–2 |  Nepal | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
 | 
| Bhutan  | 0–2 |  Bangladesh | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
Winner
| 2nd SAFF U-18 Championship 2017 | 
|---|
|   Nepal Second title | 
Awards
The following awards were given for the 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship.
| FIFA Fair Play Award | Golden Boot Award | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|  Bhutan |  Jafar Iqbal | 
Goalscorers
- 5 Goals
- 3 Goals
- 2 Goals
 Orgyen Tshering Orgyen Tshering
 Princeton Rebello Princeton Rebello
 Roman Limbu Roman Limbu
 Dinesh Henjan Dinesh Henjan
- 1 Goal
 Saikot Mahmoud Munna Saikot Mahmoud Munna
 Rahmat Mia Rahmat Mia
 Mahbubur Rahman Sufil Mahbubur Rahman Sufil
 Edmund Lalrindika Edmund Lalrindika
 Asish Rai Asish Rai
 Rejin Subba Rejin Subba
 Ahmed Tholal Ahmed Tholal
 Abhishek Halder Abhishek Halder
 Abhishek Rijal Abhishek Rijal
 Mohammed Al-Amin Mohammed Al-Amin
References
- 1 2 "SAFF U18 Draw held". Daily Sun. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka withdraws its participation from SAFF U18 Championship". Goal Nepal. 6 September 2017.
- ↑ "SAFF U18 Championship Format Changed". The Daily Star. 11 September 2017.
- ↑ "SAFF U18 Championship To Be Played In Round Robin Format". Goal Nepal. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.

