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A member of the [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]], the team has yet to make their first appearance in [[FIFA World Cup]] or [[AFC Asian Cup]] finals. They have been South Asian champions once, in 1995. As is true elsewhere on the sub-continent, top-level football in Sri Lanka stands somewhat in the shadow of the country's [[Cricket]] team. However, the side did reach the second qualification stage for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]]. In the same year, they became the runners-up in the [[2006 AFC Challenge Cup|2006 Challenge Cup]].
A member of the [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]], the team has yet to make their first appearance in [[FIFA World Cup]] or [[AFC Asian Cup]] finals. They have been South Asian champions once, in 1995. As is true elsewhere on the sub-continent, top-level football in Sri Lanka stands somewhat in the shadow of the country's [[Cricket]] team. However, the side did reach the second qualification stage for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]]. In the same year, they became the runners-up in the [[2006 AFC Challenge Cup|2006 Challenge Cup]].


In the [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|qualification round]] of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 World Cup]], Sri Lanka lost both matches against [[Bhutan national football team|Bhutan]] and failed to qualify for the next round. However, Sri Lanka national football team had managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the [[2015 SAFF Championship]].
During the [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification round]], Sri Lanka lost both matches against [[Bhutan national football team|Bhutan]] and failed to qualify for the next round. However, Sri Lanka national football team had managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the [[2015 SAFF Championship]].


== History ==
== History ==

Revision as of 19:31, 13 June 2025

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Sri Lanka women's national football team.

Sri Lanka
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Golden Army
රන් හමුදාව
தங்கப் படை
AssociationFootball Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationSAFF (South Asia)
Head coachAbdullah Al Mutairi
CaptainSujan Perera
Most capsChanna Ediri Bandanage (64)
Top scorerKasun Jayasuriya (27)[1]
Home stadiumSugathadasa Stadium
Colombo Racecourse
FIFA codeSRI
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 200 Steady (3 April 2025)[2]
Highest122 (August 1998)
Lowest207 (October 2022)
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)[3]
SAFF Championship
Appearances13 (first in 1993)
Best resultChampions (1995)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances3 (first in 2006)
Best resultRunners-up (2006)

The Sri Lanka national football team (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාපන්දු කණ්ඩායම Shri Lanka Papandu Kandayama, Tamil: இலங்கை தேசிய கால்பந்து அணி Ilaṅkai Tēciya Kālpantu Aṇi) represents Sri Lanka in Association football and is administered by Football Federation of Sri Lanka, the governing body of football in Sri Lanka. They have been a member of FIFA since 1952 and a member of AFC since 1954. Sri Lanka's home stadium is the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Sri Lankan team was known as the Ceylon national football team until 1972 when Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.[5]

A member of the AFC, the team has yet to make their first appearance in FIFA World Cup or AFC Asian Cup finals. They have been South Asian champions once, in 1995. As is true elsewhere on the sub-continent, top-level football in Sri Lanka stands somewhat in the shadow of the country's Cricket team. However, the side did reach the second qualification stage for the 2006 World Cup. In the same year, they became the runners-up in the 2006 Challenge Cup.

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification round, Sri Lanka lost both matches against Bhutan and failed to qualify for the next round. However, Sri Lanka national football team had managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2015 SAFF Championship.

History

Early history (1890s–2014)

Ceylon team which participated in the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1970.

Football was introduced to Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) by the British. There is evidence of it being played in Galle Face, a sandy area near the coast, by British servicemen stationed in Colombo in the 1890s. The game was also played at grounds of the barracks at Echelon Barracks and the army grounds (presently the Taj Samudra Hotels).

British servicemen of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery and the Royal Garrison Command began and promoted competitive football in Ceylon. The British administrative service and the planting community enthusiastically took it to the Central, Southern, and Up-Country regions. By early 1900 competitive football was popular with the local youth.

The game became popular and local football clubs were formed. St. Michael's SC, Havelock's Football Club, Java Lane SC, Wekande SC, Moors FC, and CH & FC, the last being a European monopoly, were some of the first clubs in Columbo. Harlequins FC and Saunders SC soon joined. The trophies of the early tournaments were the De Mel Shield and the Times of Ceylon Cup.

Football also became popular in the country's Southern Provence, where the planting and administrative community promoted the game. British planter T R. Brough in Deniyaya heavily promoted football in the south between 1910 and 1920, and British servicemen from the Navy wireless station in Matara also helped popularise it.[6]

Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the Third-place match at the 1997 SAFF Gold Cup

In 1952, Ceylon became a member of FIFA and gained the opportunity to play football at the international level. The country's first international game was played against India in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, organized by The Ceylon Football Association.

On 24 October 1953, Tom Ossen, a product of Dharmaraja College, scored the country's first official international goal against Burma at the 1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament. The game ended in a 2–3 defeat, with T. J. Azeez netting Ceylon's second goal.[7]

Renaissance of Sri Lanka football (2015–2019)

In 2015, Sri Lanka played for the first time in the Bangabandhu Cup. This tournament was organised by Bangladesh Football Federation. The national U-23 teams of Thailand, Bahrain, Malaysia and Singapore participated in this tournament. The national football teams of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also competed in this tournament.

Sri Lanka was placed in the group with Malaysia and Bangladesh. In the first game Sri Lanka played against the Malaysian team. Malaysia won the match by 2–0. The second match was played against the host Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost the game 1–0. Sri Lanka failed to score a goal in this tournament. After a six years of poor performance in the international football field Sri Lanka football team managed to qualify for the Semi Final of 2015 SAFF Championship. The poor performance continued in the Solidarity Cup as well. They had another shock defeat this time by the hands of Mongolia the lowest ranked team in Asia. As a result of this defeat Sri Lanka eliminated in the group stage of the tournament.[8]

In July 2018, Sri Lanka welcomed a historical encounter when they faced Lithuania, marked for the first time Sri Lanka will face a European team. The Sri Lankans managed a respectable 0–0 draw to the UEFA side but lost 0–2 in the second encounter.[9] During 2022 World Cup campaign however, Sri Lanka suffered another poor performance as the team fell 0–1 in Zhuhai to Macau. Macau was subsequently disqualified, as the team refused to travel to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings,[10] Sri Lanka was awarded a 3–0 win in response, thus qualified to the second round of the World Cup for the first time since 2006 campaign.[11]

Amir Alagic era (2020–2022)

C. Dilshan
M. Aakib
Rathnayake
Shazny
Basith
Sri Lanka's starting lineup for the Four Nations Football Tournament 2021 final

In the second round, Sri Lanka was unlucky to be drawn with four 2019 AFC Asian Cup participants, South Korea, North Korea, Lebanon and Turkmenistan. As predicted, Sri Lanka proved too weak for the group, losing all matches without scoring a single goal as for the end of 2019, and was eliminated from World Cup contention. Sri Lanka had improved since then, and participated in the 2020 Bangabandhu Cup, but the team still finished bottom with two defeats and no goal.

In February 2020, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka announced the appointment of Bosnian-Australian specialist Amir Alagić as head coach of the national team.[12] Sri Lanka then travelled to South Korea to finish their two remaining games against Lebanon and South Korea, losing both, yet optimism rose when Sri Lanka demonstrated an outstanding performance against Lebanon, scoring two goals and only lost by one goal margin, which was also the country's first-ever goals in the qualification. Alagić resigned as coach of Sri Lanka after the qualification, as Sri Lanka, rated as the weakest team in the group, were eliminated without scoring a point. He was replaced by Scottish manager, Andy Morrison.

FIFA suspension and Participation in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying (2023)

On 22 January 2023, FIFA announced the suspension of the FFSL from 21 January 2023 until further notice due to the government interference in football, but was provisionally included in the draw, pending a resolution. Therefore, all teams/clubs affiliated with the FFSL are no longer entitled to take part in international competitions.[13] However, after the issue was settled, the ban was lifted allowing Sri Lanka to take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification under a strict condition: FFSL must conduct a new election ten days before the fixture against Yemen; failure to do so would result in automatic disqualification of the team.[14] The suspension was lifted on 29 August 2023.[15]

Sri Lanka then participated in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification facing against Yemen on 12 October 2023 but lost 4–1 on aggregate in the process. In September 2024, Sri Lanka then played in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round against Cambodia in which the aggregate was tied on 2–2 where Claudio Kammerknecht scored in the 120+2th minute in extra time to send the game to penalties shoot-out. Sri Lanka came out victorious thus qualifying to the third round.

2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualification (2024–)

The Sri Lanka national football team began their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign by integrating players of Sri Lankan origin from overseas, including Claudio Kammerknecht and Marvin Hamilton. Their contributions were pivotal in the team’s penalty shoot-out victory over Cambodia in the play-off round, securing a place in the third round.[16]

In September 2024, Kuwaiti head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi was appointed to prepare the team for the next stage of qualification.[17] Sri Lanka is scheduled to play six international friendlies in 2025 to build match fitness and test tactical adjustments ahead of the third round.[18] The third round of qualification will take place in 2025, where Sri Lanka has been drawn into Group D alongside Thailand, Turkmenistan, and Chinese Taipei.[19][20] On 5 June 2025, Sri Lanka won Chinese Taipei 3–1 on home soil.

Team image

Media coverage

There is no official TV broadcaster for the football matches played by the Sri Lanka team because the Football Federation of Sri Lanka has not sold broadcasting rights. The SAFF Championship was broadcast by several channels, and tournaments in the 1990s and 2000s were broadcast free-to-air by Channel Eye. The 2013 SAFF Championship was broadcast by CSN. Star Sports also broadcast the SAFF Championship on pay TV satellite broadcasters.

The official online broadcaster of Sri Lankan football matches is thepapare.com[21] which streams the games of the Sri Lanka Football Premier League, the finals of the Sri Lanka FA Cup, and the AFC U-19 Championship.[22]

Colours

Team has separate kits for home and away matches. The current designs were introduced in 2023, replacing the previous gold-coloured jerseys that led to the team's nickname, "Golden Army." Since 2023, the kits have been manufactured by Nexxus Sports, a Sri Lankan brand.

Crest

The team's crest features a blue and yellow (gold) colour scheme. The background is deep blue, with a yellow lion holding a sword. White is used for the text and the border. These colours (blue, yellow, and white) are reflected in the design of the current kits.

Home

The home kit is primarily white, with blue and yellow dots across the chest, blue player numbers and names. A curved blue-and-yellow stripe appears beneath the front of the collar, and the sides of the jersey also feature blue and yellow striping. The colour palette is based on the colours of the national team crest. This design was introduced in 2023. In the past, the team traditionally wore gold and blue as the home colours.

Away

The away kit features a blue jersey with yellow dots across the chest, white player numbers and names, and matching blue shorts. Thin yellow side stripes run from under the arms to the hem of the jersey. Although introduced in 2023 alongside the home kit, the away kit has yet to be used in an official match. In the past, the team traditionally wore white as the away colour with gold coloured elements on it.

Home stadiums

Colombo Racecourse

The Colombo Racecourse, located in Colombo, serves as the current home venue of the Sri Lanka national football team. Originally opened in 1893 as a horse racing track, the venue was repurposed as an airfield by the Royal Air Force during World War II.[23] In the early 2010s, the ground underwent significant renovations to convert it into a modern football and multi-sport stadium.[24]

Following a hiatus of more than three years in international football matches in Sri Lanka, the Colombo Racecourse hosted its first senior international match on 8 July 2018, a friendly between Sri Lanka and Lithuania, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

As of 2025, the stadium has served as the national team's primary home ground, replacing the Sugathadasa Stadium in this role since 2015. It has a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 and includes facilities suitable for international competition.

Sugathadasa Stadium

Sugathadasa Stadium

Sugathadasa Stadium is the former athletic stadium in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1972 and has a capacity of 28,000.[25] The stadium is mostly used for athletics and football. The 1995 and 2008 SAFF Championship tournaments were held in this stadium. This is the home stadium of Sri Lanka National Football Team.Sri Lanka won their first major football tournament in his stadium. It was defeating India in the Final of 1995 SAFF Championship.

All the FIFA World Cup qualification matches of Sri Lankan team prior to 2016 played in this ground. Major football tournaments that played in here were the AFC President's Cup and AFC Challenge Cup.

The last international match played at Sugathadasa took place on 12 March 2015, against Bhutan in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture.[26]

Kalutara Stadium

The Kalutara Stadium, also known as the Vernon Fernando Stadium or locally as the Kalutara Park Ground, is a multi-purpose venue in Kalutara with a capacity of around 15,000. It is primarily used for domestic club football. The last recorded international match played here was a friendly between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on 25 March 2002.[27]

Results and fixtures

Main article: Sri Lanka national football team results (2010–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

5 September 2027 Asian Cup Q (p.o) Sri Lanka  0–0  Cambodia Colombo, Sri Lanka
20:45 UTC+5:30 Report Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Attendance: 2,955
Referee: Sultan Mohamed Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
10 September 2027 Asian Cup Q (p.o) Cambodia  2–2 (a.e.t.)
(2–2 agg.)
(2–4 p)		  Sri Lanka Phnom Penh, Cambodia
19:00 UTC+7
  • Nhean 58'
  • Sos 98'
 Report
Stadium: Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 14,178
Referee: Asker Nadjafaliyev (Uzbekistan)
Penalties
10 October Friendly Myanmar  2–0  Sri Lanka Yangon, Myanmar
16:00 UTC+6:30
Report Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium
Referee: Souei Vongkham (Laos)
13 October Friendly Myanmar  0–0  Sri Lanka Yangon, Myanmar
16:00 UTC+6:30 Report Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium
16 November Friendly Yemen  0–1  Sri Lanka Doha, Qatar
19:15 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Al-Khor SC Stadium
19 November Friendly Yemen  2–0  Sri Lanka Doha, Qatar
19:15 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Al-Khor SC Stadium

2025

20 March Friendly Laos  1–2  Sri Lanka Vientiane, Laos
19:00 UTC+7
Report
Stadium: New Laos National Stadium
Referee: Songkran Bunmeekiart (Thailand)
25 March 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Thailand  1–0  Sri Lanka Bangkok, Thailand
19:30 UTC+7
Report (AFC) Stadium: Rajamangala Stadium
Attendance: 17,207
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
5 June Friendly Sri Lanka  1–0  Brunei Bangkok, Thailand
17:00 UTC+7
Report Stadium: Alpine Football Camp
Referee: Torpong Somsing (Thailand)
10 June 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Sri Lanka  3–1  Chinese Taipei Colombo, Sri Lanka
15:45 UTC+5:30
Report Report (AFC)
Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Attendance: 3,710
Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)
9 October 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Sri Lanka  v  Turkmenistan Colombo, Sri Lanka
--:-- UTC+7 Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
14 October 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Turkmenistan  v  Sri Lanka Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Stadium: Köpetdag Stadium
18 November 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Sri Lanka  v  Thailand Colombo, Sri Lanka
Stadium: Colombo Racecourse

2026

31 March 2027 AFC Asian Cup Q Chinese Taipei  v  Sri Lanka Kaohsiung, Taiwan
--:-- UTC+7 Stadium: Nanzih Football Stadium

Coaching staff

Nikola Kavazović became the manager of the national football team of Sri Lanka in 2014
Position Name
Head coach Kuwait Abdullah Al Mutairi
Assistant coach Sri Lanka Mohamad Fawmy
Goalkeeping coach Sri Lanka Nishan Waseem
Performance analyst Sri Lanka Sanka Jayamina
Team doctor Sri Lanka Chathura Akalanka Edirisinghe
Physiotherapist Sri Lanka Saman Dayawansa
Masseur Sri Lanka Ruwan Jayasuriya
Kitman Sri Lanka Shabeer Perera
Media officer Sri Lanka Isuru Maduwantha
Team staff Sri Lanka Hiran Rathnayaka

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against  Laos and the 2027 ACQ match against  Thailand on 20 and 25 March 2025, respectively.[31]

Caps and goals are correct as of 20 March 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 32) 56 0 Maldives TC Sports
20 1GK Mohamed Mursith (2001-01-04) 4 January 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Sri Lanka Blue Star
22 1GK Kaveesh Lakpriya Fernando (1995-01-10) 10 January 1995 (age 30) 1 0 Sri Lanka Blue Star
2 2DF Anujan Rajendram (2000-05-11) 11 May 2000 (age 25) 8 0 Norway Strindheim IL
3 2DF Harsha Fernando (1992-11-21) 21 November 1992 (age 32) 36 0 Sri Lanka Up Country Lions
4 2DF Chalana Chameera (1993-10-01) 1 October 1993 (age 31) 34 0 Sri Lanka Blue Star
15 2DF Claudio Kammerknecht (1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 (age 25) 6 1 Germany Dynamo Dresden
45 2DF Zahi Addis (2003-09-11) 11 September 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Australia Gold Coast United
36 2DF Steven Sacayaradjy (1997-01-22) 22 January 1997 (age 28) 6 0 France Sud FC
18 2DF Barath Suresh (2003-06-11) 11 June 2003 (age 22) 13 0 Australia Langwarrin
19 2DF Jack Hingert (1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 (age 34) 8 1 Australia Brisbane Roar
23 2DF Jason Thayaparan (1995-10-01) 1 October 1995 (age 29) 7 0 Germany Eintracht Trier
20 2DF William Thomason (2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Australia Essendon Royals
8 3MF Aman Faizer (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 26) 19 0 Maldives Club Lagoons
18 3MF Dillon De Silva (2002-04-18) 18 April 2002 (age 23) 17 2 England Sutton United
10 3MF Sam Durrant (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 23) 8 0 Wales Connah's Quay Nomads
12 3MF Leon Perera (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 28) 12 0 Germany Lüneburger SK Hansa
21 3MF Adhavan Rajamohan (1993-02-21) 21 February 1993 (age 32) 13 1 Sweden IFK Haninge
41 3MF Remiyan Muthuccumaru (2007-04-09) 9 April 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Netherlands FC Emmen
24 3MF Mohamed Hasmeer (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 27) 5 0 Sri Lanka Navy Sea Hawks
3MF Garrett Kelly (1996-04-14) 14 April 1996 (age 29) 2 0 England Welling United
9 4FW Oliver Kelaart (1998-04-16) 16 April 1998 (age 27) 12 2 Australia Hume City
11 4FW Rifkhan Mohamed (1999-10-25) 25 October 1999 (age 25) 12 0 Sri Lanka Defenders
13 4FW Mohammed Thilham (2005-11-18) 18 November 2005 (age 19) 2 0 Sri Lanka New Star SC
4FW Ahmed Waseem Razeek (1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 30) 22 9 Hong Kong Eastern District
4FW Wade Dekker (1994-04-21) 21 April 1994 (age 31) 8 1 Australia Dandenong Thunder
4FW Rahul Suresh (2004-06-04) 4 June 2004 (age 21) 6 0 Australia Dandenong Thunder

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Prabath Ruwan (1993-06-19) 19 June 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Sri Lanka Air Force 2024 FIFA World Series
DF Jude Supan (1998-07-30) 30 July 1998 (age 26) 29 0 Sri Lanka Renown v.  Yemen, 16 November 2024
DF Manaram Perera (1998-06-23) 23 June 1998 (age 26) 8 0 Sri Lanka Navy Sea Hawks v.  Yemen, 16 November 2024
DF Asikur Rahuman (1993-12-31) 31 December 1993 (age 31) 29 1 Sri Lanka Defenders v.  Brunei, 8 June 2024
DF Dagsan Vigneswaran (2004-02-05) 5 February 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Switzerland FC Concordia Lausanne 2024 FIFA World Series
MF Geremi Perera (2004-03-25) 25 March 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Germany ATSV Erlangen v.  Thailand, 25 March 2025INJ
MF Tenuka Ranaweera (2005-08-22) 22 August 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Kenya Nairobi United v.  Cambodia, 10 September 2024
MF Firaz Marshuk 0 0 v.  Cambodia; 10 September 2024
MF Regize Canistan (1997-03-25) 25 March 1997 (age 28) 0 0 France FC Montceau Bourgogne 2024 FIFA World Series
FW Shenal Sandesh (2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Sri Lanka Up Country Lions v.  Yemen, 16 November 2024
FW Mohamed Aakib (2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 (age 24) 28 3 Sri Lanka Colombo v.  Yemen, 16 November 2024
Notes
  • INJ Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE Preliminary squad / standby
  • RET Retired from the national team
  • SUS Serving suspension
  • WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue

Player records

As of 20 March 2025[32]
Players in bold are still active with Sri Lanka.

Most appearances

Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Channa Ediri Bandanage 65 18 1999–2009
2 Kasun Jayasuriya 56 27 1999–2009
3 Weerasinghe Sujan Perera 56 0 2011–present
4 Chathura Maduranga Weerasinghe 48 7 2001–2009
5 Dudley Lincoln Steinwall 46 3 1993–2009
6 Chathura Gunaratne 39 8 2006–2013
Kavindu Ishan 39 1 2013–present
8 Kamaldeen Mohamed Fuard 37 0 2000–2006
9 Harsha Fernando 36 0 2018–present
10 Chalana Chameera 35 0 2015–present

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Kasun Jayasuriya 27 56 0.48 1999–2009
2 Channa Ediri Bandanage 18 65 0.28 1999–2009
3 Roshan Perera 14 31 0.45 1993–2001
4 Ahmed Waseem Razeek 9 22 0.41 2019–present
Mohamed Izzadeen 9 34 0.26 2004–2015
6 Chathura Gunaratne 8 39 0.21 2006–2013
7 Chathura Maduranga Weerasinghe 7 48 0.15 2001–2009
8 Mohamed Amanulla 6 10 0.6 1995–2000
9 Mohamed Izmath Zain 3 9 0.33 2011
Kaiz Mohammed Shafras 3 12 0.25 2008–2011
Galboda Chandradasa Karunaratne 3 12 0.25 1999–2007
Imthyas Raheem 3 23 0.13 1995–2004
Mohamed Aakib 3 28 0.11 2019–present
Well Don Ruwanthilaka 3 33 0.09 2000–2011
Dudley Lincoln Steinwall 3 46 0.07 1993–2009

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D L F A Pld W D L F A
Uruguay 1930 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Not a FIFA Member Not a FIFA Member
Switzerland 1954 Did not enter Did not enter
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 0 0 8 0 26
France 1998 3 1 1 1 4 4
South KoreaJapan 2002 6 1 1 4 8 20
Germany 2006 8 1 3 4 7 11
South Africa 2010 2 0 0 2 0 6
Brazil 2014 2 0 1 1 1 5
Russia 2018 2 0 0 2 1 3
Qatar 2022 8 1 0 7 5 24
CanadaMexicoUnited States 2026 2 0 1 1 1 4
MoroccoPortugalSpain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/9 — 41 4 7 30 27 103

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 to Iran 1968 Withdrew Withdrew
Thailand 1972 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 1 10
Iran 1976 Withdrew Withdrew
Kuwait 1980 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 5 12
Singapore 1984 4 1 1 2 6 11
Qatar 1988 to Japan 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
United Arab Emirates 1996 Did not qualify 6 2 0 4 5 25
Lebanon 2000 4 0 0 4 2 18
China 2004 8 2 0 6 6 26
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2011 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
Australia 2015
United Arab Emirates 2019 2 0 0 2 1 3
Qatar 2023 11 1 0 10 5 30
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/19 — 42 7 1 34 31 136

SAFF Championship

Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Pakistan 1993 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 4 2
Sri Lanka 1995 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 5 3
Nepal 1997 Semi-finals 4th 4 2 0 2 6 3
India 1999 Group stage 5th 2 0 1 1 2 3
Bangladesh 2003 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 3 3
Pakistan 2005 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 5
Maldives Sri Lanka 2008 Semi-finals 3rd 4 2 1 1 5 3
Bangladesh 2009 Semi-finals 4th 4 2 0 2 9 7
India 2011 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 4 6
Nepal 2013 Group Stage 7th 3 1 0 2 6 15
India 2015 Semi-finals 4th 3 1 0 2 1 7
Bangladesh 2018 Group stage 6th 2 0 1 1 0 2
Maldives 2021 Group stage 5th 4 0 1 3 2 5
Total 13/13 1st 41 13 7 21 48 64

AFC Challenge Cup

AFC Challenge Cup AFC Challenge Cup qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 2 7 2 No qualifying round
India 2008 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 9 3 2 1 0 14 4
Sri Lanka 2010 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 4 7 3 2 1 0 9 4
Nepal 2012 did not qualify 3 0 1 2 0 5
Maldives 2014 3 1 0 2 5 5
Total 3/5 Runners-up 12 5 1 7 12 18 12 5 3 4 28 18
  • In 2011 and 2015 The AFC Challenge Cup acted as the qualification for the Asian Cup.
  • The AFC Challenge Cup was cancelled by the AFC.

AFC Solidarity Cup

Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Malaysia 2016 Group stage 6th 3 0 1 2 2 5

Head-to-head record

Last update was against   Brunei on 5 June 2025.[33]

Country Matches Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Win/Draw %
 Afghanistan 8 1 1 6 6 17 −11 25.00
 Bahrain 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 00.00
 Bangladesh 20 5 2 13 15 30 −15 25.00
 Bhutan 8 6 0 2 20 5 +15 75.00
 Brunei 5 3 0 2 7 3 +4 60.00
 Cambodia 5 2 1 2 4 12 −8 40.00
 China 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 00.00
 East Germany 1 0 0 1 1 12 −11 00.00
 Guam 1 1 0 0 5 1 +4 100.00
 Hong Kong 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 00.00
 India 19 2 5 12 13 32 −19 11.11
 Indonesia 6 0 1 5 6 29 −23 33.33
 Iran 2 0 0 2 0 11 −11 00.00
 Japan 3 0 0 3 0 16 −16 00.00
 Jordan 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 00.00
 Kyrgyzstan 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 00.00
 Laos 8 3 2 3 13 11 +2 62.50
 Lebanon 5 1 0 4 6 18 −12 25.00
 Lithuania 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 00.00
 Macau 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2 66.66
 Malaysia 10 1 0 9 7 36 −29 10.00
 Maldives 20 2 9 9 16 38 −22 10.00
 Mongolia 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 50.00
 Myanmar 9 2 1 6 10 20 −10 22.22
 North Korea 3 0 0 3 0 8 −8 00.00
   Nepal 17 6 7 4 25 19 +6 37.50
 Oman 3 0 1 2 1 14 −13 00.00
 Pakistan 19 8 4 7 31 25 +6 75.00
 Palestine 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 00.00
 Philippines 4 1 1 2 5 9 −4 50.00
 Qatar 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 00.00
 Saudi Arabia 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 00.00
 Singapore 5 1 0 4 6 15 −9 20.00
 South Korea 3 0 0 3 0 19 −19 00.00
 Seychelles 4 1 1 2 5 8 −3 25.00
 Sudan 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 00.00
 Syria 3 0 0 3 0 17 −17 00.00
 Tajikistan 4 0 1 3 3 11 −8 00.00
 Thailand 8 0 0 8 2 23 −21 00.00
 Timor-Leste 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 100.00
 Turkmenistan 6 0 1 5 2 12 −10 00.00
 United Arab Emirates 8 0 0 8 3 35 −32 00.00
 Uzbekistan 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9 00.00
 Vietnam 4 0 3 1 6 7 −1 30.00
 Yemen 4 1 1 2 2 6 −4 40.00
Total Played W D L GF GA GD
265 52 47 156 242 580 −338

Honours

Continental

Regional

Friendly

Summary

Only official senior honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Senior Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
AFC Challenge Cup 0 1 0 1
Total 0 1 0 1

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ László Földesi. "Kasun Nadika Jayasuriya Weerarathne – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Head to head stats Sri Lanka – GDR". WildStat. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  4. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Sri Lanka's first international win at football". sundaytimes.lk. The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Sri Lanka Sports News – Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers". dailynews.lk. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  7. ^ Morrison, Neil (1999). "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952–1955: 1953 (Rangoon, Burma)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022.
  8. ^ AFC (6 November 2016). "Mongolian penalties down Sri Lanka". thepapare.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Brave Sri Lanka B fall to Lithuania". 11 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
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  16. ^ "FFSL charts future path after Asian Cup breakthrough". The Morning. September 2024.
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  19. ^ "Hopefuls discover Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round challengers". The Asian Football Confederation. 8 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Hopefuls discover Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round challengers". The Asian Football Confederation. 8 December 2024.
  21. ^ "ThePapare.com". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
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  28. ^ Amit, Naushad (19 November 2017). "The football master now only on a liquid diet". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Andrew Morrison and Keith Stevens as foreign coaches arrive in Sri Lanka". 2022.
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