The West Asian Football Federation Championship (), or simply WAFF Championship, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the governing body of football in West Asia.
The competition was first held in 2000, with Iran winning the inaugural tournament. The most recent edition was held in 2019, with Bahrain winning their first title after defeating Iraq in the final.
History The inaugural WAFF Championship was held in Amman, Jordan, from 23 May to 3 June 2000. The tournament, also known as the King Hussein Cup, featured the six WAFF members at the time alongside invited teams Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Iran defeated Syria 1–0 in the final to win the inaugural title. The tournament was dedicated to the memory of Hussein of Jordan, who had died the previous year, and the trophy was named the Al Hussein Cup.
The 2002 edition was held in Damascus, Syria, with all matches played at the Abbasiyyin Stadium. Iraq won their first title after recovering from two goals down to defeat Jordan 3–2 after extra time in the final. The 2004 edition was held in Tehran, Iran, and was won by the hosts, who defeated Syria 4–1 in the final. Iran had earlier defeated Syria 7–1 in the group stage, while Ali Daei scored five goals during the tournament.
The fourth edition was originally scheduled to be held in Lebanon in 2006 but was postponed following the 2006 Lebanon War and subsequently moved to Jordan. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates withdrew after the postponement. Iran won the tournament, defeating Iraq 2–1 in the final to claim their third title. The 2008 edition was held in Tehran and featured only four WAFF members after Iraq and Bahrain withdrew. Oman and Qatar, which were not WAFF members at the time, participated as invited teams. Iran defeated Jordan 2–1 in the final to retain the title.
The 2010 edition was originally assigned to Lebanon but was transferred to Jordan. Kuwait won their first title after defeating three-time defending champions Iran 2–1 in the final. The 2012 edition was held in Kuwait and was won by Syria for the first time, who defeated Iraq 1–0 in the final. The 2013 edition was hosted by Qatar from 25 December 2013 to 7 January 2014. Qatar won their first title after defeating Jordan 2–0 in the final. The defending champions, Syria, did not participate, while Yemen withdrew shortly before the tournament.
The 2019 edition was the first to be hosted by Iraq. Nine teams participated, with Bahrain defeating the hosts 1–0 in the final at Karbala International Stadium to win their first WAFF Championship title.
Results EditionYearHosts ChampionsScore Runners-up Third placeScore Fourth placeNo. of Teams120001–04–1822002 3–2 2–2 (4–2 pen.)632004 4–13–1642007 2–1 and 652008 2–1 and 662010 2–1 and 972012 1–01–01182013 2–00–0 (3–2 pen.)992019 1–09102026 Postponed12 a.e.t.: after extra time pen.: after penalty shoot-out TBD: to be determined Notes
Teams reaching the top four + Teams reaching the top fourTeamTitlesRunners-upThird place1Fourth placeTotal4 (2000, 2004*, 2007, 2008*)1 (2010)1 (2002)61 (2002)3 (2007, 2012, 2019*)2 (2000, 20102)1 (2004)71 (2012)2 (2000, 2004)2 (20072, 20082)1 (2002*)61 (2019)1 (2013)1 (2012)31 (2013*)1 (20082)21 (2010)1 (2013)23 (2002, 2008, 2013)2 (2004, 20072*)1 (2000*)61 (20102)11 (2012)1 * = hosts 1 = includes semi-finals in case there was no third-place match 2 = semi-final
Records and statistics Top goalscorers by tournament YearPlayer(s)Goals2000 Razzaq Farhan42002 Alireza Nikbakht2 Razzaq Farhan Muayad Salim Anas Sari2004 Ali Daei52007 Mehdi Rajabzadeh2 Salih Sadir2008 Kianoush Rahmati32010 Ali Al-Nono42012 Qasim Said4 Ahmad Al Douni2013 Boualem Khoukhi62019 Hussein Ali3
See also WAFF U-23 Championship WAFF U-19 Championship WAFF U-17 Championship WAFF Women's Championship Arabian Gulf Cup FIFA Arab Cup AFC Asian Cup AFF Championship CAFA Nations Cup EAFF E-1 Football Championship SAFF Championship
References
External links
WAFF Championship on RSSSF.com