Pakistan will renew its fierce football rivalry with India at the 2026 SAFF Championship in Bangladesh after the regional heavyweights were drawn together in Group B on Saturday.
The tournament draw, conducted during the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Congress in Thimphu, Bhutan, also placed the Maldives alongside the two rivals for the competition, which runs from November 4 to November 17.
Group A features tournament hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
The upcoming clash between Pakistan and India will mark their first senior international meeting since the 2023 edition of the tournament, where India secured a dominant 4-0 victory.
However, the Pakistani national team, nicknamed the Shaheens, enters the tournament with renewed momentum under the guidance of head coach Nolberto Solano. The team recently claimed a historic title at the Diamond Jubilee International Tournament in the Maldives in June.
During that campaign, Pakistan recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory over the Maldives, courtesy of goals from Umer Nawaz, Abdul Samad, and Harun Hamid.
As part of their tournament preparations, Solano’s squad is scheduled to compete in the inaugural FIFA Asean Cup across September and October.
Separately at the SAFF Congress, Kazi Salahuddin was re-elected unopposed to serve another term as the regional governing body’s president.
