# India drawn with Maldives, Pakistan in SAFF Championship 2026 2026-08-07T10:01:55+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The draw for the 15th SAFF Championship was held in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Saturday. Defending champions India are placed in Group B with Maldives and Pakistan. The tournament will be hosted in Dhaka from November 4-17. India will begin their campaign against Maldives on November 5, followed by Pakistan on November 11. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Indian women's team began their SAFF Women's Championship 2026 campaign in Goa on Monday against Maldives. Ranked 69th in FIFA, India are the highest-ranked side in the tournament. They have a dominant head-to-head record against Maldives, with seven wins and one draw in eight meetings, scoring 68 goals and conceding just one. Coach Crispin Chettri said the competition has become more challenging. ## Coverage - millenniumpost.in - thehindu.com Tags: Goa, Indian football, Maldives, SAFF Championship, women's football Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-face-maldives-in-saff-womens-championship-opener/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-face-maldives-in-saff-womens-championship-opener/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.