75% of opening-day tickets unsold with SAFF Championship two days away

Nearly 75% of the general gallery tickets for the SAFF Championship opening day were still unsold on November 3, two days before the tournament starts at Dhaka’s National Stadium, despite hosts Bangladesh being in action. High prices and little publicity are blamed.

Of the 18,300 seats in the general gallery, 13,736 were still available at 1:30pm on Tuesday, according to Tickify, the platform running ticket sales. The stadium holds around 22,000 in all, so thousands of empty seats loom for the opening day.

Two matches are scheduled for Thursday, with India meeting Pakistan at 3:30pm and Bangladesh facing Bhutan at 8pm. One Tk 1,000 ticket covers both games, yet many supporters feel that is steep, and the cost climbs quickly for families attending together.

Critics ask whether ordinary fans’ finances were considered when prices were fixed, with an India and Pakistan fixture and the national team on the same bill failing to tempt buyers. Visible promotion has been scarce too, with no plan to fill the stands.

The mood contrasts sharply with the tournaments Dhaka hosted in 2003 and 2018, which were marked by far livelier celebrations. Bangladesh won the 2003 title on home soil, beating the Maldives on penalties in the final, and dream of repeating it 23 years later.

SAFF is running the event itself under an agreement with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), which has largely watched from a distance. Bangladesh received Tk 5 million from SAFF as host, though questions remain over its role in making the tournament appealing.

BFF sources say there is dissatisfaction within the federation over the preparations, with SAFF handling the arrangements independently and giving little consideration to the BFF's input. Despite repeated assurances that everything would be ready on time, concerns remain with only two days left before the tournament begins.

Information has been scarce too. Details of team arrival times, training venues and practice schedules have reached the media irregularly. Bhutan were first to land in Dhaka, India and Sri Lanka followed on Tuesday, and Pakistan were due the same day.