SAFF Championship

India to face the Maldives & Sri Lanka in 2018 SAFF Cup group stage

The 12th edition of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championships, the 2018 SAFF Suzuki Cup, will be played from September 4 to 15, 2018 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The draw for the 12th SAFF Suzuki Cup was carried our earlier today in Dhaka by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) president Salahuddin.

In Group A, hosts Bangladesh would face Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan; while in Group B, defending champions India would ahve to take on the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The Bangabandhu National Stadium will host all the matches in September with the top-two teams from each group qualifying for the semis-finals.

The SAFF Suzuki Cup is now a seven nation tournament after the realignment of the regions in Asia by the Asian Football Confederation, by which Afghanistan has been shifted into the Central Asian zone.

India are the most successful team of the biennial South Asian tournament and had won the last edition in December 2015/January 2016 at home in Thiruvananthapuram and they will try to defend their title.

Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

I'm a creative mind working in football management, consulting and media with more than 20 years of experience in football business and sports media. I love travelling, photography and share things I like. Consultancy, Project Management and Public Relations for professional football clubs, federations, media and corporates on (Indian) football. Indian football expert, writer and blogger. Strategic Advisor to Women's Bundesliga 2 side FSV Gütersloh 2009. Former COO cum Assistant Editor-in-Chief of IndianFootball.Com and its parent company. [+ Read more]