India begin SAFF Championship title defence against Pakistan in Dhaka opener on 5 November
Defending champions India open the SAFF Championship 2026 against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, in a tournament that runs until 17 November and features six teams.
Defending champions India begin their SAFF Championship 2026 title defence against Pakistan on Thursday 5 November, opening South Asia’s main men’s football tournament with its most storied rivalry at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
The match kicks off at 3:00 pm India time, which is 2:30 pm in Pakistan, and it is the first fixture of a tournament that runs from 5 to 17 November, with every match played at the National Stadium in the Bangladeshi capital. The opening game carries extra weight because it is not only a group match but also the tournament curtain-raiser, setting the tone for the two weeks that follow.
Six teams are taking part in the 15th edition of the championship: hosts Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Nepal, which would ordinarily be a seventh side, is absent because of a FIFA suspension. The teams are split into two groups of three, with the top two from each group reaching the semi-finals on 14 November and the final on 17 November.
India, Pakistan and Maldives make up Group B, while hosts Bangladesh are drawn with Sri Lanka and Bhutan in Group A. India face Maldives in their second and final group fixture on 11 November, while Pakistan play Maldives on 8 November, so the group could still be decided on the final day even after the high-profile opener.
India arrive as the tournament’s dominant force, chasing a record-extending tenth SAFF title. Head coach Naushad Moosa, leading a youthful and developmental squad, has said he expects a different Pakistan side from the one India beat 4-0 in the 2023 edition, and has urged his players to focus on their own football rather than the occasion.
The rankings underline the gap India must still close on the wider stage, even within the region. India enter the tournament ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings, while Pakistan sit at 197th, according to figures cited by the All India Football Federation. That gap, however, has rarely made this fixture straightforward, and Pakistan’s coach has set a clear target of his own.
Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano has said qualification for the semi-finals is his immediate target, expressing confidence in his squad while stressing collective effort, fitness and the development of local talent. Pakistan will initially be without their overseas-based players, because the tournament falls outside the FIFA international match window, which puts a premium on the domestic players Solano has selected.
The tournament also marks a technological first for South Asian football. Video Assistant Referee technology will be used for the first time in the region, specifically from the semi-final and final stages, a step organisers hope will reduce the controversy that has sometimes surrounded knockout matches in past editions.
For viewers, the broadcast picture is streaming-led in India, where all matches will be available live on the VETO platform, with no television broadcast. Fans in other countries should check local listings, but the Dhaka stadium itself will be the centre of attention on Thursday afternoon, when two neighbours meet with a semi-final place already on the line in a three-team group.
Whatever the result on Thursday, neither side’s tournament ends there, and both will have a second group game to shape their path to the last four. But an opening win in a rivalry fixture brings more than three points: it brings momentum, breathing room and, in a short tournament, the luxury of knowing that the hardest game of the group is already behind you.
More in Sports
Photo: Cesc Fabregas (file image)
SportsComo equal Champions League record with stunning 9-1 rout at Lens
Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick as Como thrashed Lens 9-1 away from home, matching the biggest winning margin in Champions League history on a historic night in France.
Photo: Erling Haaland (file image)
SportsHaaland strikes late as Manchester City edge RB Leipzig 3-2 in five-goal Champions League thriller
Erling Haaland scored a 78th-minute winner as Manchester City twice surrendered the lead before beating RB Leipzig 3-2 at the Red Bull Arena, climbing to seventh in the Champions League league phase.
Photo: Eden Park in Auckland at dusk (file image)
SportsKohli's 74 powers India to five-wicket win over New Zealand in rain-hit Auckland opener
Virat Kohli struck 74 from 51 balls as India chased a revised target of 143 to beat New Zealand by five wickets in the rain-affected first ODI at Eden Park, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.