Dhaka [Bangladesh], April 22 : The Indian women's national team were drawn with Bangladesh and Maldives in Group B of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship 2026, after the draw held at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The tournament will be held in Margao, Goa, from May 25 to June 6, 2026. Group A contains Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. The top two teams from each group will make it to the semi-finals. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will be the venue for all matches of the SAFF Women's Championship 2026, as per a press release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
This will mark the second time India will host the SAFF Women's Championship, after the 2016 edition in Siliguri, West Bengal, where the Blue Tigresses won their fourth title. It will also be the second time that Goa will stage a SAFF tournament. The men's championship of 1999 was also held at the PJN Stadium, where India won the title, defeating Bangladesh in the final.
The seeding for the SAFF Women's Championship 2026 draw was done in accordance with the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings issued on April 21. India (69th) and Nepal (87th) were placed in Pot 1. Bangladesh (112th) and Sri Lanka (162nd) were placed in Pot 2. Bhutan (164th) and the Maldives (167th) were placed in Pot 3.
India is the record five-time champions of the SAFF Women's Championship, having won titles in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. Bangladesh have won the last two editions in 2022 and 2024.
-SAFF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP 2026 FINAL DRAW
GROUP A: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan
GROUP B: India (hosts), Bangladesh, Maldives.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor