Sri Lanka national football team

History

Early history

In January 1933, an All-Ceylon side lost 0–1 against the touring Indian football team. Though it was an All-Bengal team organised by the IFA, it was a de facto Indian national football team.

In 1939, the Ceylon Football Association was formed.

In 1946 and 1948, Ceylon played against touring Indian sides. In April 1949, the team played two test matches against the touring Indian national football team, losing 0–1 and 1–6 respectively. The same year, Ceylon played two matches against the touring Pakistani team Jinnah Gymkhana, losing 0–4 and 0–1.

FIFA recognition (1950s)

In 1952, Ceylon became a member of FIFA. The team participated in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, held in Colombo. Later on, the team also participated in the 1953, 1954 and 1955 editions of the tournament.

In 1956, the team played two test matches against the touring Pakistan national team, losing and drawing once. The next year, Ceylon played against the touring Soviet team Neftyanik.

In 1958, the team toured the far east under the captainship of Tom Ossen.

1960s

In January 1960, Ceylon played two test matches against touring soviet club Zenit Leningrad. The next year the team played test matches against touring Soviet club Spartak Praha Sokolovo and Brazilian club Madureira. Ceylon began participating in the Southern Pentangular Tournament, a regional football competition held among Ceylon and leading Indian state teams during the 1960s, later reduced to a quadrangular format in 1970. Ceylon took part in all editions held in 1961 (Bangalore), 1962 (Madras), 1963 (Colombo), 1964 (Andhra Pradesh), 1967 (Colombo), and 1970 (Colombo). The final edition in 1970, played at the Sugathadasa Stadium, saw Ceylon emerge as unbeaten champions, marking one of the national team's earliest major international achievements.

In 1963, Ceylon participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers, losing against India in the home and away fixtures. The next year, the team played against the touring East Germany team, recording a 1–12 defeat. The same year, the team also played two tests against touring Indonesia.

On 28 February 1965, Ceylon secured their first international victory on home soil, defeating Pakistan 3–1 in a friendly at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The second friendly match was tied 0–0. The same year, the team toured Indonesia, and also played against German side 1. FC Nürnberg in home venue. In 1967, the team also played against touring American side Dallas Tornado, and Soviet team FK Žalgiris.

In 1966, Ceylon played two friendly matches against touring Burma, losing 0–3 and 1–3.

Ceylon participated in the 1968 Summer Olympics qualifiers, losing against Israel in both home and away fixtures. Later on, the team embarked on a tour in Israel and Germany, playing against local sides including clubs from Palenberg, Essen and Hamburg.

1970s

In 1971, the team participated in the 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification, losing all matches against Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain. The next year, the team again failed to advance at the 1972 Summer Olympics Qualifiers, losing all matches. Later on, the team also participated in the 1972 Jakarta Anniversary Tournament and the 1972 Merdeka Tournament. The same year, the team also played friendlies against Singapore in away venue and China in home. Soviet club Dinamo Tbilisi, who toured Ceylon also played test matches against the Ceylon national side.

In 1979, Sri Lanka featured in the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification, 1979 President's Cup Football Tournament and the 1979 King's Cup in Thailand. The team also played against Swedish club Kronängs IF; the tour was organised by Kronängs player Norman Alfonso, a former player of Saunders club of Sri Lanka.

1980s

At the 1980 Summer Olympics Qualifiers, Sri Lanka failed to advance after losing against Singapore, North Korea, India, China and Iran.

In 1983, the team played friendlies against Maldives and Singapore. In 1984, after playing a friendly against the touring Maldives, the team participated in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification. Sri Lanka participated in the 1986 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament held in Islamabad, ending in the fourth position.

At the 1989 South Asian Games, the team failed to advance past the group stage.

Regional success (1990s)

The team participated at the 1991 South Asian Games, again ending unsuccessful.

In 1993, Sri Lanka participated for the first time at the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing all the matches. The same year, the team participated in the 1993 SAARC Gold Cup and the 1993 South Asian Games, achieving bronze, after defeating Maldives by 3–1 in the third place match.[[File:Sampath Perera and Qazi Ashfaq before the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, 1997 Gold Cup.jpg|thumb|Sri Lanka and [[Pakistan national football team|Pakistan]] during the Third-place match at the [[1997 SAFF Gold Cup]]]]

In 1995, Sri Lanka made history winning the 1995 SAARC Gold Cup, after defeating India in the final by 1–0. At the 1995 South Asian Games, the team achieved bronze, after defeating Nepal in the penalty shootout after a goalless draw. The team also played at the Burma Tournament 1995.

In 1996, the team ended unsuccessful at the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification and the FIFA World Cup qualification.

At the 1997 SAFF Gold Cup, Sri Lanka was ousted in the semifinal after losing against eventual finalists Maldives. The next year the team played at the Bristol Freedom Cup organised by the Sri Lanka Football Federation. The team eventually lost in the final against India B.

In 1999, Sri Lanka participated in the 1999 SAFF Gold Cup, 1999 South Asian Games and the 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification.

Renaissance of Sri Lanka football (2015–2019)

In 2015, Sri Lanka played for the first time in the Bangabandhu Cup. This tournament was organised by Bangladesh Football Federation. The national U-23 teams of Thailand, Bahrain, Malaysia and Singapore participated in this tournament. The national football teams of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also competed in this tournament.

Sri Lanka was placed in the group with Malaysia and Bangladesh. In the first game Sri Lanka played against the Malaysian team. Malaysia won the match by 2–0. The second match was played against the host Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost the game 1–0. Sri Lanka failed to score a goal in this tournament. After a six years of poor performance in the international football field Sri Lanka football team managed to qualify for the Semi Final of 2015 SAFF Championship. The poor performance continued in the Solidarity Cup as well. They had another shock defeat this time by the hands of Mongolia the lowest ranked team in Asia. As a result of this defeat Sri Lanka eliminated in the group stage of the tournament.

In July 2018, Sri Lanka welcomed a historical encounter when they faced Lithuania, marked for the first time Sri Lanka will face a European team. The Sri Lankans managed a respectable 0–0 draw to the UEFA side but lost 0–2 in the second encounter. During 2022 World Cup campaign however, Sri Lanka suffered another poor performance as the team fell 0–1 in Zhuhai to Macau. Macau was subsequently disqualified, as the team refused to travel to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, Sri Lanka was awarded a 3–0 win in response, thus qualified to the second round of the World Cup for the first time since 2006 campaign.

Amir Alagic era (2020–2022)

In the second round, Sri Lanka was unlucky to be drawn with four 2019 AFC Asian Cup participants, South Korea, North Korea, Lebanon and Turkmenistan. As predicted, Sri Lanka proved too weak for the group, losing all matches without scoring a single goal as for the end of 2019, and was eliminated from World Cup contention. Sri Lanka had improved since then, and participated in the 2020 Bangabandhu Cup, but the team still finished bottom with two defeats and no goal.

In February 2020, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka announced the appointment of Bosnian-Australian specialist Amir Alagić as head coach of the national team. Sri Lanka then travelled to South Korea to finish their two remaining games against Lebanon and South Korea, losing both, yet optimism rose when Sri Lanka demonstrated an outstanding performance against Lebanon, scoring two goals and only lost by one goal margin, which was also the country's first-ever goals in the qualification. Alagić resigned as coach of Sri Lanka after the qualification, as Sri Lanka, rated as the weakest team in the group, were eliminated without scoring a point. He was replaced by Scottish manager, Andy Morrison.

FIFA suspension and Participation in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying (2023)

On 22 January 2023, FIFA announced the suspension of the FFSL from 21 January 2023 until further notice due to the government interference in football, but was provisionally included in the draw, pending a resolution. Therefore, all teams/clubs affiliated with the FFSL are no longer entitled to take part in international competitions. However, after the issue was settled, the ban was lifted allowing Sri Lanka to take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification under a strict condition: FFSL must conduct a new election ten days before the fixture against Yemen; failure to do so would result in automatic disqualification of the team. The suspension was lifted on 29 August 2023.

Sri Lanka then participated in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification facing against Yemen on 12 October 2023 but lost 4–1 on aggregate in the process. In September 2024, Sri Lanka then played in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round against Cambodia in which the aggregate was tied on 2–2 where Claudio Kammerknecht scored in the 120+2th minute in extra time to send the game to penalties shoot-out. Sri Lanka came out victorious thus qualifying to the third round.

2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualification (2024–)

The Sri Lanka national football team began their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign by integrating players of Sri Lankan origin from overseas, including Claudio Kammerknecht and Marvin Hamilton. Their contributions were pivotal in the team's penalty shoot-out victory over Cambodia in the play-off round, securing a place in the third round.

In September 2024, Kuwaiti head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi was appointed to prepare the team for the next stage of qualification. Sri Lanka is scheduled to play six international friendlies in 2025 to build match fitness and test tactical adjustments ahead of the third round. The third round of qualification will take place in 2025, where Sri Lanka has been drawn into Group D alongside Thailand, Turkmenistan, and Chinese Taipei. On 5 June 2025, Sri Lanka won Chinese Taipei 3–1 on home soil.

Team image

Media coverage

There is no official TV broadcaster for the football matches played by the Sri Lanka team because the Football Federation of Sri Lanka has not sold broadcasting rights. The SAFF Championship was broadcast by several channels, and tournaments in the 1990s and 2000s were broadcast free-to-air by Channel Eye. The 2013 SAFF Championship was broadcast by CSN. Star Sports also broadcast the SAFF Championship on pay TV satellite broadcasters.

The official online broadcaster of Sri Lankan football matches is thepapare.com which streams the games of the Sri Lanka Football Premier League, the finals of the Sri Lanka FA Cup, and the AFC U-19 Championship. The Champions League 2026 is being broadcast by TV Supreme.

Colours

Team has separate kits for home and away matches. The current designs were introduced in 2023, replacing the previous gold-coloured jerseys that led to the team's nickname, "Golden Army." Since 2023, the kits have been manufactured by Nexxus Sports, a Sri Lankan brand.

Crest

The team's crest features a blue and yellow (gold) colour scheme. The background is deep blue, with a yellow lion holding a sword. White is used for the text and the border. These colours (blue, yellow, and white) are reflected in the design of the current kits.

Home

The home kit is primarily white, with blue and yellow dots across the chest, blue player numbers and names. A curved blue-and-yellow stripe appears beneath the front of the collar, and the sides of the jersey also feature blue and yellow striping. The colour palette is based on the colours of the national team crest. This design was introduced in 2023. In the past, the team traditionally wore gold and blue as the home colours.

Away

The away kit features a blue jersey with yellow dots across the chest, white player numbers and names, and matching blue shorts. Thin yellow side stripes run from under the arms to the hem of the jersey. Although introduced in 2023 alongside the home kit, the away kit has yet to be used in an official match. In the past, the team traditionally wore white as the away colour with gold coloured elements on it.

Home stadiums

Colombo Racecourse

The Colombo Racecourse, located in Colombo, serves as the current home venue of the Sri Lanka national football team. Originally opened in 1893 as a horse racing track, the venue was repurposed as an airfield by the Royal Air Force during World War II. In the early 2010s, the ground underwent significant renovations to convert it into a modern football and multi-sport stadium.

Following a hiatus of more than three years in international football matches in Sri Lanka, the Colombo Racecourse hosted its first senior international match on 8 July 2018, a friendly between Sri Lanka and Lithuania, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

As of 2025, the stadium has served as the national team's primary home ground, replacing the Sugathadasa Stadium in this role since 2015. It has a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 and includes facilities suitable for international competition.

Sugathadasa Stadium

Sugathadasa Stadium is the former athletic stadium in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1972 and has a capacity of 28,000. The stadium is mostly used for athletics and football. The 1995 and 2008 SAFF Championship tournaments were held in this stadium. This is the home stadium of Sri Lanka National Football Team.Sri Lanka won their first major football tournament in his stadium. It was defeating India in the Final of 1995 SAFF Championship.

All the FIFA World Cup qualification matches of Sri Lankan team prior to 2016 played in this ground. Major football tournaments that played in here were the AFC President's Cup and AFC Challenge Cup.

The last international match played at Sugathadasa took place on 12 March 2015, against Bhutan in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture.

Kalutara Stadium

The Kalutara Stadium, also known as the Vernon Fernando Stadium or locally as the Kalutara Park Ground, is a multi-purpose venue in Kalutara with a capacity of around 15,000. It is primarily used for domestic club football. The last recorded international match played here was a friendly between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on 25 March 2002.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Sri Lanka national football team results (2010–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2025

• Souvanny
• Dekker
• Rajamohan
• Patrik
• Perera
• Rajamohan
• De Silva
• Ahmed
• Huang
• Naiz Hassan
• Hussain
• Fasir
• Kelaart
• Naiz Hassan Report (AFC)
• Perera Report (AFC)
• Tagaýew
• Saparow
• Annagulyýew Report (AFC)
• Thanawat
• Soonsup-Bell
• Pansa

2026

Coaching staff

Coaching history

• SRI Neville Abeyagunawardena (1952–1968)
• SRI V. Nadarajah (1969)
• SRI Lawrence Fernando (1970–1975)
• SRI P.D. Sirisena (1976–1990)
• SRI Neville Dias (1990)
• GER Burkhard Pape (1991–1992)
• BRA Jorge Ferreira (1993–1995)
• SRI P.D. Sirisena (1996)
• Unknown (1997–1998)
• SRI Subhani Hassimdeen (1999)
• MAS M. Karathu (1999–2000)
• BRA Marcos Ferreira (2000–2004)
• SRI Sampath Perera (2004–2006)
• KOR Jang Jung (2007–2008)
• SRI Sampath Perera (2009)
• SRI Mohamed Amanulla (2009–2010)
• KOR Jang Jung (2010–2011)
• SRI Sampath Perera (2011–2013)
• BRA Claudio Roberto (2013–2014)
• SER Nikola Kavazović (2014–2015)
• SRI Sampath Perera (2015–2016)
• SRI Dudley Steinwall (2016–2018)
• SRI Nizam Pakeer Ali (2018–2020)
• BIH AUS Amir Alagić (2020–2022)
• SRI Mohamed Hassan Roomy (2022)
• SCO Andy Morrison (2022–2024)
• KUW Abdullah Al Mutairi (2024–2026)

Players

Current squad

The following 24 players were called up for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Thailand on 10–19 November 2025.

Caps and goals are correct as of 18 November 2025 after the game against Thailand.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection. ;Notes

• INJ Withdrew due to injury
• PRE Preliminary squad / standby
• RET Retired from the national team
• SUS Serving suspension
• WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue

Player records

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Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

AFC Asian Cup

SAFF Championship

AFC Challenge Cup

• In 2011 and 2015 The AFC Challenge Cup acted as the qualification for the Asian Cup.
• The AFC Challenge Cup was cancelled by the AFC.

AFC Solidarity Cup

Head-to-head record

Last update was against on 18 November 2025.

Honours

Continental

• AFC Challenge Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2006

Regional

• SAFF Championship
  • Champions (1): 1995
  • Runners-up (1): 1993
• South Asian Games
  • Bronze Medal (2): 1993, 1995

Summary

Only official honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Notes

References

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