SAFF Championship 2026 draw places Maldives in Group B with India and Pakistan

India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group as Maldives for the SAFF Championship 2026, which will take place in Bangladesh this November.

The draw for South Asia’s biggest regional football tournament was held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Saturday. The championship will run from November 4 to 17 in Dhaka.

Maldives has been placed in Group B alongside India, the region’s most successful team and defending champions, and Pakistan. Hosts Bangladesh lead Group A with Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

Nepal did not take part in Saturday’s draw due to FIFA’s suspension of its football association. SAFF said that if FIFA lifts the suspension before the tournament begins, Nepal will be added to Group A with Bangladesh. In that case, Group A will feature four teams instead of three.

The SAFF Championship, first held in Pakistan in 1993 as the “SAARC Gold Cup”, remains the most prestigious football competition in South Asia.

India has won the tournament a record nine times. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have each won the title once.

Maldives has lifted the SAFF Championship trophy twice. The first win came in 2008, when Maldives defeated India 1 - 0 in a dramatic final at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Maldives claimed their second title in 2018 in Dhaka, beating India 2 - 1 in the final at the Bangladesh National Stadium.

In addition to these two victories, Maldives reached the finals in 1997, 2003 and 2009.