---
title: "India drawn to face Pakistan in SAFF Championship 2026 Dhaka, Bangladesh; Nov 5 opener vs Pakistan"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-02T13:46:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/saff-championship-2026-football-draw-india-group-b-pakistan-maldives"
topics:
  - name: "football"
    identifier: "medtop:20001065"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "Thimphu"
  - "Shillong"
  - "Nepal"
  - "Sri Lanka"
  - "Bangladesh"
  - "Pakistan"
  - "Bhutan"
  - "Maldives"
  - "India"
---


India drawn to face Pakistan in SAFF Championship 2026 Dhaka, Bangladesh; Nov 5 opener vs Pakistan

SAFF Championship 2026: India drawn to face Pakistan in group stage

SAFF Championship 2026: India drawn to face Pakistan in group stage

The Blue Tigers will face Pakistan on November 5 before taking on Maldives six days later. The tournament will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Indian football team has been drawn in Group B alongside Pakistan and Maldives for the SAFF Championship 2026 .

The 15th edition of the sub-continental football tournament will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 4 to 17. The draw ceremony was held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Saturday.

Defending champions India, who are chasing a record-extending 10th SAFF Championship title, will open their campaign against Pakistan on November 5 before facing Maldives on November 11.

Seven teams have been divided into two groups, with Nepal's participation contingent on FIFA lifting its suspension over governance violations.

Group A : Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal*

Group B : India, Maldives, Pakistan

As per the tournament format, all teams will square off with the other sides from their group once in a round-robin fixture.

The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals, with the Group A winners facing the Group B runners-up and vice versa.

The semi-finals are scheduled for November 14, while the final will be played on November 17.

India are the top-ranked team in Group B at 138th, followed by Maldives (173) and Pakistan (198).

The Blue Tigers head into the tournament with a dominant record against both their group-stage opponents.

India have won 16 of their 29 meetings against Pakistan. The two sides last met at the SAFF Championship 2023, where India claimed a convincing 4-0 victory.

Against Maldives, India have registered 13 wins, two draws and three defeats in 18 encounters. Their most recent meeting came in an international friendly in March 2025, when India secured a 3-0 win in Shillong.

India are also the defending champions and are the most successful team in the history of the SAFF Championship with nine titles, having won in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023.

Picture by All India Football Federation

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