WAFF Championship
Football tournament for men's national teams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The West Asian Football Federation Championship (Arabic: بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا لكرة القدم), 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 championship has been held nine times since the first edition in 2000.[1]
| Organiser(s) | WAFF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Region | West Asia |
| Teams | 12 (2026) |
| Current champions |  Bahrain (1st title) |
| Most championships |  Iran (4 titles) |
| Website | the-waff.com |
 2026 WAFF Championship | |
The defending champions are Bahrain, having defeated hosts Iraq in the 2019 final. The most successful team is Iran, with four titles; however, they do not compete in the competition anymore as they are no longer members of the WAFF.
History
The inaugural WAFF Championship was held in 2000 in Jordan, with Iran winning the first edition.[2] It was hosted in memory of Hussein of Jordan, who had died a year prior.[3] The Al Hussein Cup, assigned to the winner of each tournament, was designed and manufactured in Italy in 2000, and is made of silver and copper.[2]
Results
| Edition | Year | Hosts | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | No. of Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 |  Jordan |
Iran |
1–0 |  Syria |
 Iraq |
4–1 | Jordan |
8 |
| 2 | 2002 | Syria |
Iraq |
3–2 (a.e.t.) | Jordan |
Iran |
2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–2 pen.) |
Syria |
6 |
| 3 | 2004 | Iran |
Iran |
4–1 | Syria |
Jordan |
3–1 |  Iraq |
6 |
| 4 | 2007 | Jordan |
Iran |
2–1 | Iraq |
Jordan and Syria[note 1] |
6 | ||
| 5 | 2008 | Iran |
Iran |
2–1 | Jordan |
 Qatar and Syria[note 1] |
6 | ||
| 6 | 2010 | Jordan |
 Kuwait |
2–1 | Iran |
 Iraq and  Yemen[note 1] |
9 | ||
| 7 | 2012 | Kuwait |
Syria |
1–0 | Iraq |
 Oman |
1–0 | Bahrain |
11 |
| 8 | 2013 | Qatar |
Qatar |
2–0 | Jordan |
Bahrain |
0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–2 pen.) |
Kuwait |
9 |
| 9 | 2019 | Iraq |
Bahrain |
1–0 | Iraq |
[note 2] | 9 | ||
| 10 | 2026 | Oman |
12 | ||||||
- a.e.t.: after extra time
- pen.: after penalty shoot-out
- TBD: to be determined
- Notes
- The two semi-finalists in 2007, 2008, and 2010 did not play a third-place match.
- There were neither semi-finals nor a third-place match in 2019.
Teams reaching the top four
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place1 | Fourth place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran |
4 (2000, 2004*, 2007, 2008*) | 1 (2010) | 1 (2002) | 6 | |
| Iraq |
1 (2002) | 3 (2007, 2012, 2019*) | 2 (2000, 20102) | 1 (2004) | 7 |
 Syria |
1 (2012) | 2 (2000, 2004) | 2 (20072, 20082) | 1 (2002*) | 6 |
| Bahrain |
1 (2019) | 1 (2013) | 1 (2012) | 3 | |
| Qatar |
1 (2013*) | 1 (20082) | 2 | ||
| Kuwait |
1 (2010) | 1 (2013) | 2 | ||
| Jordan |
3 (2002, 2008, 2013) | 2 (2004, 20072*) | 1 (2000*) | 6 | |
| Yemen |
1 (20102) | 1 | |||
| Oman |
1 (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
| Year | Player(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Razzaq Farhan |
4 |
| 2002 | Alireza Nikbakht |
2 |
| Razzaq Farhan | ||
| Muayad Salim | ||
| Anas Sari | ||
| 2004 | Ali Daei |
5 |
| 2007 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh |
2 |
| Salih Sadir | ||
| 2008 | Kianoush Rahmati |
3 |
| 2010 | Ali Al-Nono |
4 |
| 2012 | Qasim Said |
4 |
| Ahmad Al Douni | ||
| 2013 | Boualem Khoukhi |
6 |
| 2019 | Hussein Ali |
3 |