Sri Lanka national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sri Lanka

Nickname(s)	Golden Army රන් හමුදාව தங்கப் படை
Association	Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach	Abdullah Al Mutairi
Captain	Sujan Perera
Most caps	Channa Ediri Bandanage (64)
Top scorer	Kasun Jayasuriya (27)
Home stadium	Sugathadasa Stadium Colombo Racecourse
FIFA code	SRI
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	201 (7 February 2019)
Highest	122 (August 1998)
Lowest	207 (October 2022)
Elo ranking
Current	217 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest	105 (23 March 1952)
Lowest	225 (September 2019)
First international
Ceylon 0–2 India  (Colombo, Ceylon; 1 January 1952)
Biggest win
Sri Lanka 7–1 Pakistan  (Taipei, Taiwan; 4 April 2008)  Sri Lanka 6–0 Bhutan  (Dhaka, Bangladesh; 6 December 2009)
Biggest defeat
Ceylon 1–12 East Germany  (Colombo, Ceylon; 12 January 1964)
SAFF Championship
Appearances	13 (first in 1993)
Best result	Champions (1995)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2006)
Best result	Runners-up (2006)

The Sri Lanka national football team represents Sri Lanka in the sport of Association football. They are managed by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka. This group is the main organization for football in the country. Sri Lanka joined FIFA in 1952 and the AFC in 1954.

The team's home stadium is the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. Before 1972, the team was known as the Ceylon national football team. This was because the country was called Ceylon back then.

Sri Lanka has not yet played in the FIFA World Cup or AFC Asian Cup finals. However, they won the South Asian championship once in 1995. Football in Sri Lanka is not as popular as Cricket. Still, the team reached the second qualification stage for the 2006 World Cup. In the same year, they were runners-up in the 2006 Challenge Cup.

In the 2018 World Cup qualification, Sri Lanka lost to Bhutan. They did not move on to the next round. But, the team made it to the semi-finals of the 2015 SAFF Championship.

History of Sri Lankan Football

How Football Started (1890s–2014)

The Ceylon team that played in the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1970.

Football came to Sri Lanka from the British. This was in the 1890s when Sri Lanka was called Ceylon. British soldiers played the game in places like Galle Face in Colombo. They also played at army grounds.

British military groups helped start competitive football in Ceylon. These included the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. British officials and plantation workers also brought the game to other parts of the country. By the early 1900s, local young people loved playing football.

Many local football clubs were formed. Some of the first clubs in Colombo were St. Michael's SC and Java Lane SC. Harlequins FC and Saunders SC also became popular. Early tournaments gave out trophies like the De Mel Shield.

Football also grew popular in the Southern Province. British planter T. R. Brough helped a lot between 1910 and 1920. British navy members in Matara also made the game well-known.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan before a match in 1997.

In 1952, Ceylon joined FIFA. This allowed them to play football against other countries. Their first international game was against India. It happened in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.

On October 24, 1953, Tom Ossen scored Sri Lanka's first official international goal. It was against Burma in a tournament. Ceylon lost that game 2–3.

Recent Years (2015–Present)

In 2015, Sri Lanka played in the Bangabandhu Cup for the first time. This tournament was held in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka was in a group with Malaysia and Bangladesh. They lost both games and did not score any goals.

After some difficult years, the team reached the semi-finals of the 2015 SAFF Championship. However, their struggles continued in the Solidarity Cup. They lost to Mongolia, one of Asia's lowest-ranked teams. This meant Sri Lanka was out of the tournament early.

In July 2018, Sri Lanka played against a European team for the first time. They faced Lithuania. Sri Lanka managed a 0–0 draw in the first game. They lost the second match 0–2.

During the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Sri Lanka lost 0–1 to Macau. Macau later refused to travel to Sri Lanka due to safety concerns. Because of this, Sri Lanka was given a 3–0 win. This helped them reach the second round of World Cup qualifiers for the first time since 2006.

In the second round of qualifiers, Sri Lanka was in a tough group. They played against strong teams like South Korea and Lebanon. Sri Lanka lost all their matches in 2019 without scoring.

In February 2020, Amir Alagić became the new head coach. Sri Lanka played Lebanon and South Korea again. They lost both games. However, they scored two goals against Lebanon, which was a big improvement. This was the first time Sri Lanka scored in that qualification round. Alagić later left his role.

On January 22, 2023, FIFA temporarily stopped the Football Federation of Sri Lanka from playing. This was because of government interference in football. But the ban was lifted on August 29, 2023. This allowed Sri Lanka to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Sri Lanka played Yemen in the first round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They lost 4–1 overall. In September 2024, Sri Lanka played Cambodia in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup play-off round. The score was tied 2–2 after extra time. Claudio Kammerknecht scored a late goal to send the game to penalties. Sri Lanka won the penalty shootout and moved to the third round.

In September 2024, Abdullah Al Mutairi became the new head coach. Sri Lanka is preparing for the next stage of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification. They will play six friendly matches in 2025. Sri Lanka is in Group D with Thailand, Turkmenistan, and Chinese Taipei. On June 5, 2025, Sri Lanka won against Chinese Taipei 3–1 at home.

Team Information

Media Coverage

There is no official TV channel that broadcasts Sri Lanka's football matches. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka has not sold these rights. Some tournaments like the SAFF Championship have been shown on different channels. In the 1990s and 2000s, Channel Eye showed games for free. Later, CSN and Star Sports also broadcast matches.

The website thepapare.com streams some Sri Lankan football games online. This includes matches from the Sri Lanka Football Premier League and the Sri Lanka FA Cup.

Team Colors and Crest

The team has different uniforms for home and away games. The current designs were introduced in 2023. Before that, the team wore gold jerseys, which gave them the nickname "Golden Army." Since 2023, Nexxus Sports, a Sri Lankan company, has made the uniforms.

Crest Details

The team's crest is blue and yellow (gold). It has a deep blue background with a yellow lion holding a sword. White is used for the text and the border. These colors are also used in the team's uniforms.

Home Kit

The home uniform is mostly white. It has blue and yellow dots on the chest. Player numbers and names are blue. There is a curved blue and yellow stripe below the collar. The sides of the jersey also have blue and yellow stripes. This design started in 2023. In the past, the team usually wore gold and blue at home.

Away Kit

The away uniform is a blue jersey with yellow dots on the chest. Player numbers and names are white. It has thin yellow stripes on the sides. This kit was also introduced in 2023. However, it has not been used in an official match yet. Historically, the away uniform was white with gold parts.

Home Stadiums

Colombo Racecourse

The Colombo Racecourse is the main home stadium for the Sri Lanka national football team. It is located in Colombo. It first opened in 1893 for horse racing. During World War II, it was used as an airfield.

In the early 2010s, the venue was updated to be a modern football stadium. On July 8, 2018, it hosted its first international match. This was a friendly game between Sri Lanka and Lithuania, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

Since 2015, the Colombo Racecourse has been the team's main home ground. It replaced the Sugathadasa Stadium. It can hold about 10,000 people.

Sugathadasa Stadium

Sugathadasa Stadium

Sugathadasa Stadium is an older stadium in Sri Lanka. It was built in 1972 and can hold 28,000 people. It is mainly used for athletics and football. The 1995 and 2008 SAFF Championship tournaments were held here. This is where Sri Lanka won their first major football tournament in 1995. They beat India in the final of the SAFF Championship.

All of Sri Lanka's FIFA World Cup qualification matches before 2016 were played at this stadium. The last international match here was on March 12, 2015. It was a World Cup qualifier against Bhutan.

Kalutara Stadium

The Kalutara Stadium is also known as the Vernon Fernando Stadium. It is in Kalutara and can hold about 15,000 people. It is mostly used for local club football games. The last international match recorded here was a friendly between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on March 25, 2002.

Recent Matches

Here are some of the recent match results for the Sri Lanka national football team.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2024 Matches

• September 5: Sri Lanka 0–0 Cambodia (2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers)
• September 10: Cambodia 2–2 Sri Lanka (2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers, Sri Lanka won 4–2 on penalties)
• October 10: Myanmar 2–0 Sri Lanka (Friendly)
• October 13: Myanmar 0–0 Sri Lanka (Friendly)
• November 16: Yemen 0–1 Sri Lanka (Friendly)
• November 19: Yemen 2–0 Sri Lanka (Friendly)

2025 Matches

• March 20: Laos 1–2 Sri Lanka (Friendly)
• March 25: Thailand 1–0 Sri Lanka (2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers)
• June 5: Sri Lanka 1–0 Brunei (Friendly)
• June 10: Sri Lanka 3–1 Chinese Taipei (2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers)

Coaching Staff

Nikola Kavazović was the manager of Sri Lanka's national football team in 2014.

Position	Name
Head coach	Abdullah Al Mutairi
Assistant coach	Mohamad Fawmy
Goalkeeping coach	Nishan Waseem
Performance analyst	Sanka Jayamina
Team doctor	Chathura Akalanka Edirisinghe
Physiotherapist	Saman Dayawansa
Masseur	Ruwan Jayasuriya
Kitman	Shabeer Perera
Media officer	Isuru Maduwantha
Team staff	Hiran Rathnayaka

Coaching History

Many coaches have led the Sri Lanka national football team over the years. Here are some of them:

• P.D. Sirisena (1976–1990)
• Burkhard Pape (1991-92)
• Jorge Ferreira (1993–1995)
• M. Karathu (1995–2000)
• Marcos Ferreira (2000–2004)
• Sampath Perera (2004–2006, 2009, 2015–2016)
• Jang Jung (2007–2008, 2010–2012)
• Mohamed Amanulla (2009–2010)
• Claudio Roberto (2013–2014)
• Nikola Kavazović (2014–2015)
• Dudley Steinwall (2016–2018)
• Nizam Pakeer Ali (2018–2020)
• Amir Alagić (2020–2022)
• Andy Morrison (2022–2024)
• Abdullah Al Mutairi (2024–present)

Players

Current Squad

These 23 players were chosen for recent matches in March 2025. Caps and goals are correct as of March 20, 2025, after the game against Laos.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Sujan Perera (captain)	(1992-07-18) 18 July 1992 (age 33)	56	0	TC Sports
20	1GK	Mohamed Mursith	(2001-01-04) 4 January 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Blue Star
22	1GK	Kaveesh Lakpriya Fernando	(1995-01-10) 10 January 1995 (age 30)	1	0	Blue Star
2	2DF	Anujan Rajendram	(2000-05-11) 11 May 2000 (age 25)	8	0	Strindheim IL
3	2DF	Harsha Fernando	(1992-11-21) 21 November 1992 (age 32)	36	0	Up Country Lions
4	2DF	Chalana Chameera	(1993-10-01) 1 October 1993 (age 31)	34	0	Blue Star
15	2DF	Claudio Kammerknecht	(1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 (age 26)	6	1	Dynamo Dresden
45	2DF	Zahi Addis	(2003-09-11) 11 September 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Gold Coast United
36	2DF	Steven Sacayaradjy	(1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 28)	6	0	Sud FC
18	2DF	Barath Suresh	(2003-06-11) 11 June 2003 (age 22)	13	0	Langwarrin
19	2DF	Jack Hingert	(1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 (age 34)	8	1	Brisbane Roar
23	2DF	Jason Thayaparan	(1995-10-01) 1 October 1995 (age 29)	7	0	Eintracht Trier
20	2DF	William Thomason	(2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Altona Magic
8	3MF	Aman Faizer	(1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 26)	19	0	Club Lagoons
18	3MF	Dillon De Silva	(2002-04-18) 18 April 2002 (age 23)	17	2	Sutton United
10	3MF	Sam Durrant	(2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 23)	8	0	Connah's Quay Nomads
12	3MF	Leon Perera	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 28)	12	0	Lüneburger SK Hansa
21	3MF	Adhavan Rajamohan	(1993-02-21) 21 February 1993 (age 32)	13	1	IFK Haninge
41	3MF	Remiyan Muthuccumaru	(2007-04-09) 9 April 2007 (age 18)	0	0	FC Emmen
24	3MF	Mohamed Hasmeer	(1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 27)	5	0	Navy Sea Hawks
	3MF	Garrett Kelly	(1996-04-14) 14 April 1996 (age 29)	2	0	Welling United
9	4FW	Oliver Kelaart	(1998-04-16) 16 April 1998 (age 27)	12	2	Hume City
11	4FW	Rifkhan Mohamed	(1999-10-25) 25 October 1999 (age 25)	12	0	Defenders
13	4FW	Mohammed Thilham	(2005-11-18) 18 November 2005 (age 19)	2	0	New Star SC
	4FW	Ahmed Waseem Razeek	(1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 30)	22	9	Eastern District
	4FW	Wade Dekker	(1994-04-21) 21 April 1994 (age 31)	8	1	Dandenong Thunder
	4FW	Rahul Suresh	(2004-06-04) 4 June 2004 (age 21)	6	0	Dandenong Thunder

Player Records

Here are some of the top players for Sri Lanka based on their appearances and goals. Players in bold are still active with Sri Lanka.

Most Appearances

Top Goalscorers

Team Achievements

Continental Competitions

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

Regional Competitions

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

Summary of Official Honours

These are the official awards recognized by FIFA or its related groups.

Senior Competition				Total
AFC Challenge Cup	0	1	0	1
Total	0	1	0	1

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Sri Lanka para niños

• Sri Lanka women's national football team
• Sri Lanka national under-23 football team
• Sri Lanka national under-20 football team
• Sri Lanka national under-17 football team