SAFF Championship 2026The Indian football team has made a brilliant start to its campaign in the SAFF Championship 2026. In a match held in Dhaka, India defeated Pakistan 3–2. Young striker Suhail Ahmed Bhat delivered an outstanding performance, scoring two goals for India.
He found the back of the net in the 14th and 20th minutes, giving the team a commanding lead. Subsequently, in the 32nd minute, Manglenthang Kipgen scored a third goal, extending India's lead to 3–0. The Indian side was unable to add any further goals in the second half. Meanwhile, Pakistan attempted a comeback in the closing stages of the match.
Najib Ullah scored in the 91st minute, followed by a goal from Alamgir Ghazi in the 94th minute, bringing the score to 3–2 but it was not enough to secure a win. Had Shayak Dost converted a penalty in the first half, the match could have ended in a draw; however, luck was on Team India's side.
India has sent a second-string squad
This is India’s second-string team. In fact, several players from the main squad are unavailable for the two international friendly matches against New Zealand, which will be played on November 12 and 15 in Auckland and Christchurch. The AIFF stated that 18 players would travel from Kolkata to Dhaka on November 3 for the initial matches, with the remaining 10 players joining the squad later.
Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have been reluctant to release their players, as these matches fall outside the FIFA international window (November 9–17). ISL clubs will release their players once the FIFA window begins, at which point the team will be at its full strength of 28 players.
India’s next match is against the Maldives
The ‘Blue Tigers’ are set to face the Maldives on November 11—their second match in Group B. In this six-team tournament, hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan are placed in Group A. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for November 14. The final will be played on November 17.
The Indian team is being led by Naushad Moosa, the head coach of the national Under-23 side, with Bibiano Fernandes serving as the assistant coach. Fernandes recently coached the FIFA Under-15 men’s team in Azerbaijan.
India’s SAFF record
Since the tournament’s inception in 1993, India has won it nine times out of 14 editions. The team has also finished as runners-up four times and secured third place once. Pakistan’s best performance in the tournament was a third-place finish in 1997.
Pakistan enters this tournament following losses to Thailand and Vietnam, and a draw against the Philippines. However, the team has shown improvement under the guidance of former Peru international Nolberto Solano. In the last five matches, they have secured two wins and one draw.
