Pakistan to face India, Maldives in SAFF Championships group stage in November

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan football team will go head-to-head with arch-rivals India and Maldives in the group stage of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championships 2026, the football federation said. 

As per a statement issued by the Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan were drawn in group B of the competition on Saturday for the region’s premier tournament which would run from November 4 till 17 in Bangladesh. 

“Hosts Bangladesh were drawn alongside Sri Lanka and Bhutan in Group ‘A’,” the press release said. 

Pakistan head into the tournament after clinching the Diamond Jubilee International Tournament title in the Maldives in June. The Shaheens scored three against Maldives in their last match with goals from Umer Nawaz, Abdul Samad and Harun Hamid.

“Their match against India will be the first between the two sides since the 2023 SAFF Championship,” the press release said.