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Bangladesh have been handed a favourable draw for the 15th SAFF Championship, being placed in Group A alongside hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
The draw was held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Saturday. Group B features regional rivals India and Pakistan, along with the Maldives. As in the 2023 edition, India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group. In the previous tournament, India defeated Pakistan 4-0 in the group stage.
Nepal was excluded from the draw after FIFA suspended the country’s football federation due to third-party interference following political developments last year.
However, the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has left the door open for Nepal’s participation. If FIFA lifts the suspension by September, Nepal will be added to Group A alongside Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
The tournament will be held in Dhaka from November 4 to 17, with all matches taking place in the Bangladeshi capital.
Bangladesh last hosted the SAFF Championship in 2018, having previously staged the tournament in 2003 and 2009. The country’s only SAFF title came in the 2003 edition on home soil.
The most recent championship was held in Bengaluru, India, in 2023, where Bangladesh reached the semi-finals.
India are the tournament’s most successful team with nine titles. The Maldives are the only other nation to have won the championship more than once, lifting the trophy in 2008 and 2018.
Besides Bangladesh’s lone triumph in 2003, Afghanistan won the title in 2013, while Sri Lanka claimed the championship in 1995.
