SAFF Women’s Championship: India draw with defending champions Bangladesh; Pakistan not to travel

India will line up alongside defending champions Bangladesh and Maldives in the upcoming SAFF Women’s Championship, to be played in Goa from May 24 to June 7.

The five-time champions will host the tournament for the first time in a decade, with six teams competing for the title at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.

SAFF Women’s Championship Groups:

Group A: India, Bangladesh, Maldives

Group B: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan

The top two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals, which are played as one-leg knockouts to determine the finalists.

«The SAFF Championship will be played in Goa, one of the major football hubs in India. I thank the AIFF (All India Football Federation) for its cooperation in ensuring that all arrangements are in place,» said Purushottam Kattel, Secretary General of the South Asian Football Federation. Sports stars.

«We contacted all seven FAs and finally reached India. All but one team – Pakistan – have been cleared to travel. We are looking forward to a good tournament. Unfortunately, Pakistan has not been given permission by the government.»

The SAFF Championship will be India’s first competitive tournament since the 2026 AFC Asian Cup where the country exited the group stage. Since then, it has played friendlies against Kenya and Malawi, beating the latter in Africa.

«South Asian women’s teams have been doing well recently. India and Bangladesh played in the Asian Cup, and Nepal also came close. So we expect quite competitive matches,» Kattel added.

Despite being the most successful team in the competition, India have not dominated in the last two editions; Bangladesh and Nepal were in the finals in both 2022 and 2024.

India’s last SAFF Women’s Championship title came in 2019, when they defeated hosts Nepal 3-1 in the final.

Published on April 22, 2026