WAFF Championship

WAFF Championship
Organiser(s)WAFF
Founded2000; 26 years ago (2000)
RegionWest Asia
Teams12 (2026)
Current champions Bahrain (1st title)
Most championships Iran (4 titles)
Websitethe-waff.com
2026 WAFF Championship
Members of the WAFF

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 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

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 p)
Syria		 6
3 2004 Iran
Iran		 4–1
Syria
Jordan		 3–1
Iraq		 6
4 2007 Jordan
Iran		 2–1
Iraq		  Jordan and  Syria 6
5 2008 Iran
Iran		 2–1
Jordan		  Qatar and  Syria 6
6 2010 Jordan
Kuwait		 2–1
Iran		  Iraq and  Yemen 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 p)
Kuwait		 9
9 2019 Iraq
Bahrain		 1–0
Iraq		 9
10 2026 Oman Postponed 12
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 The two semi-finalists in 2007, 2008, and 2010 did not play a third-place match.
  2. ↑ There were neither semi-finals nor a third-place match in 2019.

Teams reaching the top four

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 Iraq Razzaq Farhan 4
2002 Iran Alireza Nikbakht 2
Iraq Razzaq Farhan
Jordan Muayad Salim
Syria Anas Sari
2004 Iran Ali Daei 5
2007 Iran Mehdi Rajabzadeh 2
Iraq Salih Sadir
2008 Iran Kianoush Rahmati 3
2010 Yemen Ali Al-Nono 4
2012 Oman Qasim Said 4
Syria Ahmad Al Douni
2013 Qatar Boualem Khoukhi 6
2019 Iraq Hussein Ali 3

See also

References

  1. ↑ "West Asian Championship [Malek Hussein Cup] (Jordan) 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  2. ↑ ""كأس الحسين".. رمزية تاريخية وعودة ميمونة". West Asian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "West Asian Championship (Syria) 2002". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "West Asian Championship (Iran) 2004". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "West Asian Championship (Jordan) 2007". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "إيران تهزم العراق وتفوز ببطولة غرب آسيا". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 26 June 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "West Asian Championship (Tehran) 2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "West Asian Championship (Amman) 2010". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "Kuwait wins West Asian football crown [VIDEO]". PersianLeague.com. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Syria win WAFF Championship". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "QFA Celebrates WAFF Championship Triumph". Qatar Football Association. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Yemen Withdraw From WAFF Championship". Qatar Football Association. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Bahrain clinch WAFF title". The Daily Tribune. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "تأجيل بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا العاشرة للرجال" [Postponement of the 10th West Asian Football Federation Men's Championship] (in Arabic). West Asian Football Federation. 26 June 2026.