Sri Lanka

In 1995 Sri Lanka won the regional title it still counts as its best: the SAARC Gold Cup, now known as the SAFF Championship. The final was against India, and it ended 1–0. Two years earlier the team had reached the same final and lost it.

The Golden Army, in gold and blue, began as Ceylon. The football association was formed in 1939, but the first international did not come until 26 April 1949, in Colombo, against India, and it was lost 0–1. FIFA membership followed in 1952 and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) membership in 1954.

The other final came in 2006, at the AFC Challenge Cup. Tajikistan won it 4–0, and Sri Lanka took the Fair Play Award home instead. The team has never reached a World Cup or the finals of the Asian Cup.

Kasun Jayasuriya is the all-time top scorer, with 27 or 28 goals depending on the count. Channa Ediri Bandanage holds the appearance record with 67 caps.

The ranking fell to 207th in October 2022. Three months later, in January 2023, FIFA suspended the Football Federation of Sri Lanka for government interference. By October 2025 the team stood at 205th.

Home games are played at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, which holds about 25,000. Renovations are planned to raise that to 50,000. When the capital's main ground is not used, the team has also played at Kalutara.